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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
  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 43: Kṛṣṇa Kills the Elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa
10.43.3810.43.40

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.43.39

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Cāṇūrasince 10.43.39inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

चाणूर उवाच

न बालो न किशोरस्त्वं बलश्च बलिनां वर: । लीलयेभो हतो येन सहस्रद्विपसत्त्वभृत् ॥ ३९ ॥

cāṇūra uvāca

na bālo na kiśoras tvaṁ

balaś ca balināṁ varaḥ

līlayebho hato yena

sahasra-dvipa-sattva-bhṛt

Translation

Cāṇūra said: You aren’t really a child or even a young man, and neither is Balarāma, the strongest of the strong. After all, You playfully killed an elephant who had the strength of a thousand other elephants.

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.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Extraordinary Strength Beyond Youthful Appearance

  1. 1

    Cāṇūra says that Kṛṣṇa is not really a child or even an ordinary young man.

  2. 2

    He also rejects treating Balarāma as a child, calling Him the strongest of the strong.

  3. 3

    As evidence, Cāṇūra points to Kṛṣṇa’s playful killing of an elephant with the strength of a thousand elephants.

How it feels

Anxiety and conflict → Liberation and joy. Heroic victory is complicated by separation from Vraja.

Chapters 39–45 of Canto 10: Mathurā, Kaṁsa and reunion with parents. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 43: Kṛṣṇa Kills the Elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Kṛṣṇa replied, “Although We are merely nomadic forest folk, We are nonetheless subjects of the King; thus We will not hesitate to please him with an exhibition of wrestling.” As soon as Cāṇūra heard this, he suggested that Kṛṣṇa should wrestle him and that Balarāma should wrestle Muṣṭika.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.43
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. cāṇūraḥ uvācaCāṇūra said
  2. nanot
  3. bālaḥa boy
  4. nanot
  5. kiśoraḥa youth
  6. tvamYou
  7. balaḥBalarāma
  8. caand
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.43

    In this verse: “child”

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 Kṛṣṇa’s effortless defeat of such a powerful elephant invite me to appreciate about Him?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute remembering the extraordinary strength Kṛṣṇa displays in this verse.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayExtraordinary Strength Beyond Youthful AppearanceThis 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 10.43.39? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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