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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 43: Kṛṣṇa Kills the Elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa

10.43.3 10.43.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.43.4

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 10.43.4inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अम्बष्ठाम्बष्ठ मार्गं नौ देह्यपक्रम मा चिरम् । नो चेत् सकुञ्जरं त्वाद्य नयामि यमसादनम् ॥ ४ ॥

ambaṣṭhāmbaṣṭha mārgaṁ nau

dehy apakrama mā ciram

no cet sa-kuñjaraṁ tvādya

nayāmi yama-sādanam

Translation

[Lord Kṛṣṇa said:] O driver, driver, move aside at once and let Us pass! If you don’t, this very day I will send both you and your elephant to the abode of Yamarāja!

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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.

Kṛṣṇa Commands the Keeper to Move

1
Lord Kṛṣṇa directly ordered the elephant-keeper to move aside without delay.
2
He demanded that the keeper let Him and Balarāma pass.
3
Kṛṣṇa warned that refusal would mean sending both the keeper and his elephant to the abode of Yamarāja that very day.

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

Chapter 43: Kṛṣṇa Kills the Elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

This chapter tells how Lord Kṛṣṇa killed the lordly elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa, how Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma entered the wrestling arena and what Kṛṣṇa said to the wrestler Cāṇūra. After finishing Their early-morning rituals, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma heard kettledrums heralding the start of the wrestling match, and They went to see the festivities.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.43