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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 18: Lord Balarāma Slays the Demon Pralamba
10.18.2510.18.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.18.26

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.18.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तमुद्वहन् धरणिधरेन्द्रगौरवं

महासुरो विगतरयो निजं वपु: ।

स आस्थित: पुरटपरिच्छदो बभौ

तडिद्‌‌द्युमानुडुपतिवाडिवाम्बुद: ॥ २६ ॥

tam udvahan dharaṇi-dharendra-gauravaṁ

mahāsuro vigata-rayo nijaṁ vapuḥ

sa āsthitaḥ puraṭa-paricchado babhau

taḍid-dyumān uḍupati-vāḍ ivāmbudaḥ

Translation

As the great demon carried Balarāma, the Lord became as heavy as massive Mount Sumeru, and Pralamba had to slow down. He then resumed his actual form — an effulgent body that was covered with golden ornaments and that resembled a cloud flashing with lightning and carrying the moon.

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Potency Exposes the Disguise

  1. 1

    Balarāma became as heavy as massive Mount Sumeru. Although Pralamba tried to carry Him high on his shoulders, he could not continue at his former speed.

  2. 2

    Great demons can assume different forms through mystic power. When the Lord’s spiritual potency curtails that power, they can no longer maintain their artificial forms.

  3. 3

    Pralamba resumed his actual, effulgent body. The purport compares him to a cloud, his golden ornaments to lightning, and Balarāma to the moon shining through it.

Key points from the purport
  • Here the demon Pralamba is compared to a cloud, his golden ornaments to lightning within that cloud, and Lord Balarāma to the moon shining through it.
  • Great demons can assume various forms by exerting their mystic power, but when the Lord’s spiritual potency curtails their power, they can no longer maintain an artificial form and must again manifest their actual, demoniac body.
  • Lord Balarāma suddenly became as heavy as a great mountain, and although the demon tried to carry Him high on his shoulders, he could not go on.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Peril and pride → Friendship and humility. Divinity is revealed amid intimate childhood play.

Chapters 12–19 of Canto 10: Childhood dangers and Brahmā's amazement. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 18: Lord Balarāma Slays the Demon Pralamba

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

But Balarāma became as heavy as Mount Sumeru, and the demon, unable to carry Him, had to reveal his true, demoniac form. When Balarāma saw this terrible form, He struck the demon a ferocious blow on the head with His fist.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tamHim, Lord Baladeva
  2. udvahancarrying high
  3. dharaṇi-dhara-indralike the king of the mountains, Sumeru
  4. gauravamwhose weight
  5. mahā-asuraḥthe great demon
  6. vigata-rayaḥlosing his momentum
  7. nijamhis original
  8. vapuḥbody
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does Pralamba’s inability to maintain his disguise reveal about the limits of his power?

Practice

Spend a minute recalling how Balarāma’s spiritual potency overcame Pralamba’s mystic power.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord’s Potency Exposes the DisguiseThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 10.18.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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