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

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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 10.36.3-4

Who is speaking and story frame

यस्य निर्ह्रादितेनाङ्ग निष्ठुरेण गवां नृणाम् ।

पतन्त्यकालतो गर्भा: स्रवन्ति स्म भयेन वै ॥ ३ ॥

निर्विशन्ति घना यस्य ककुद्यचलशङ्कया ।

तं तीक्ष्णश‍ृङ्गमुद्वीक्ष्य गोप्यो गोपाश्च तत्रसु: ॥ ४ ॥

yasya nirhrāditenāṅga

niṣṭhureṇa gavāṁ nṛṇām

patanty akālato garbhāḥ

sravanti sma bhayena vai

nirviśanti ghanā yasya

kakudy acala-śaṅkayā

taṁ tīkṣṇa-śṛṅgam udvīkṣya

gopyo gopāś ca tatrasuḥ

Translation

My dear King, clouds hovered about sharp-horned Ariṣṭāsura’s hump, mistaking it for a mountain, and when the cowherd men and ladies caught sight of the demon, they were struck with terror. Indeed, the strident reverberation of his roar so frightened the pregnant cows and women that they lost their fetuses in miscarriages.

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 Demon’s Terror Causes Real Suffering

  1. 1

    Clouds hovered about Ariṣṭāsura’s hump, mistaking it for a mountain. Seeing the sharp-horned demon terrified the cowherd men and women.

  2. 2

    His harsh roar frightened pregnant cows and women so severely that they suffered miscarriages.

  3. 3

    The purport explains the Vedic terms for premature delivery: up to the fourth month, srāva; in the fifth and sixth months, pāta; and afterward, birth, or prasūti.

Key points from the purport
  • The Vedic literature categorizes miscarriages as follows: Ā-caturthād bhavet srāvaḥ pātaḥ pañcama-ṣaṣṭhayoḥ/ ata ūrdhvaṁ prasūtiḥ syāt.

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

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

Further reading

Chapter 36: The Slaying of Ariṣṭā, the Bull Demon

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The demon Ariṣṭa wanted to kill Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, and thus he assumed the form of a huge bull with sharp horns. 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.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.36
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yasyawhose
  2. nirhrāditenaby the reverberating sound
  3. aṅgamy dear King (Parīkṣit)
  4. niṣṭhureṇarough
  5. gavāmof cows
  6. nṛṇāmof humans
  7. patantifall
  8. akālataḥuntimely
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.36

    In this verse: “king”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 10.36

    In this verse: “premature”

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

How does this description help you recognize the suffering caused by the demon’s terror?

Practice

Pause while reading to acknowledge the suffering of both the people and the cows described here.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Demon’s Terror Causes Real SufferingThis 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 10.36.3-4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.