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

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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 36: The Slaying of Ariṣṭā, the Bull Demon

10.36.10 10.36.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.36.11

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.36.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

गृहीत्वा श‍ृङ्गयोस्तं वा अष्टादश पदानि स: ।

प्रत्यपोवाह भगवान् गज: प्रतिगजं यथा ॥ ११ ॥

gṛhītvā śṛṅgayos taṁ vā

aṣṭādaśa padāni saḥ

pratyapovāha bhagavān

gajaḥ prati-gajaṁ yathā

Translation

The Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa seized Ariṣṭāsura by the horns and threw him back eighteen steps, just as an elephant might do when fighting a rival elephant.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Supreme Lord Repels Ariṣṭāsura

1
The Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa seized Ariṣṭāsura by the horns.
2
He threw the demon back eighteen steps. The demon’s attack could not prevent the Lord from driving him backward.
3
The Lord’s action is compared to an elephant throwing back a rival elephant in a fight.

How it feels

Attachment → Impending loss. The approach of departure gives pastoral love a poignant edge.

Chapters 34–38 of Canto 10: Further Vraja events and Akrūra's arrival. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 36: The Slaying of Ariṣṭā, the Bull Demon

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Everyone in Kṛṣṇa’s cowherd village became terrified when Ariṣṭāsura approached it, but the Lord pacified them, and when the bull demon charged Him He seized him by the horns and threw him about six yards. Though weakened, Ariṣṭa still wanted to attack Kṛṣṇa.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.36