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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

10.43.5 10.43.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.43.6

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

करीन्द्रस्तमभिद्रुत्य करेण तरसाग्रहीत् । कराद्विगलित: सोऽमुं निहत्याङ्‍‍‍‍‍घ्रिष्वलीयत ॥ ६ ॥

karīndras tam abhidrutya

kareṇa tarasāgrahīt

karād vigalitaḥ so ’muṁ

nihatyāṅghriṣv alīyata

Translation

The lord of the elephants charged Kṛṣṇa and violently seized Him with his trunk. But Kṛṣṇa slipped away, struck him a blow and disappeared from his view among his legs.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Escapes the Elephant’s Grasp

1
The lord of the elephants charged Kṛṣṇa and violently seized Him with his trunk.
2
Kṛṣṇa slipped out of the elephant’s grasp and struck him.
3
The purport specifies that Kṛṣṇa struck with His fist and then disappeared from view among the elephant’s legs.

Key points from the purport

Lord Kṛṣṇa struck the elephant with His fist and then disappeared among his legs.

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

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:

The mighty elephant grabbed at Kṛṣṇa with his trunk, but the Lord struck back and then disappeared from the beast’s sight among his legs. Enraged at not being able to see Kṛṣṇa, Kuvalayāpīḍa sought Him out with his sense of smell and seized Him.

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