1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 18: Lord Balarāma Slays the Demon Pralamba
10.18.2710.18.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.18.28

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

अथागतस्मृतिरभयो रिपुं बलो

विहायसार्थमिव हरन्तमात्मन: ।

रुषाहनच्छिरसि द‍ृढेन मुष्टिना

सुराधिपो गिरिमिव वज्ररंहसा ॥ २८ ॥

athāgata-smṛtir abhayo ripuṁ balo

vihāya sārtham iva harantam ātmanaḥ

ruṣāhanac chirasi dṛḍhena muṣṭinā

surādhipo girim iva vajra-raṁhasā

Translation

Remembering the actual situation, the fearless Balarāma understood that the demon was tṛying to kidnap Him and take Him away from His companions. The Lord then became furious and struck the demon’s head with His hard fist, just as Indra, the king of the demigods, strikes a mountain with his thunderbolt weapon.

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.

Fearless Balarāma Strikes the Demon

  1. 1

    Remembering the actual situation, fearless Balarāma understood that the demon was kidnapping Him and taking Him away from His companions.

  2. 2

    Balarāma became furious and struck the demon’s head with His hard fist. The blow is compared to Indra’s thunderbolt crashing into a mountain and cracking its stone surface.

  3. 3

    The purport also explains a reading of the verse in which the demon was flying along the cosmic path in the sky. His purpose was to carry off Balarāma, his object of pursuit.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Balarāma’s powerful fist came crashing down upon the demon’s head, just as a huge lightning bolt comes crashing into a mountain, cracking its stone surface into pieces.
  • The words vihāya sārtham iva may also be divided vihāyasā artham iva, meaning that the demon was flying in the sky on the cosmic path, vihāyas, with the purpose of carrying off Balarāma, who was his artham, or object of pursuit.

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:

This blow shattered Pralambāsura’s head just as lightning bolts hurled by the king of the demigods shatter mountains. The demon repeatedly vomited blood and then fell upon the ground.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. athathen
  2. āgata-smṛtiḥremembering Himself
  3. abhayaḥwithout fear
  4. ripumHis enemy
  5. balaḥLord Balarāma
  6. vihāyaleaving aside
  7. sārthamthe company
  8. ivaindeed
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

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.18

    In this verse: “companions”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.18

    In this verse: “fearless”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.18

    In this verse: “king”

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 Balarāma’s decisive response show about His apparent fear in this pastime?

Practice

Read the verse aloud once, giving attention to the description of Balarāma as fearless.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayFearless Balarāma Strikes the DemonThis 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 10.18.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories