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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 44: The Killing of Kaṁsa

10.44.19 10.44.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.44.20

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.44.17inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

भगवद्गात्रनिष्पातैर्वज्रनीष्पेषनिष्ठुरै: । चाणूरो भज्यमानाङ्गो मुहुर्ग्लानिमवाप ह ॥ २० ॥

bhagavad-gātra-niṣpātair

vajra-nīṣpeṣa-niṣṭhuraiḥ

cāṇūro bhajyamānāṅgo

muhur glānim avāpa ha

Translation

The harsh blows from the Supreme Lord’s limbs fell like crushing lightning bolts upon Cāṇūra, breaking every part of his body and causing him more and more pain and fatigue.

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.

The Supreme Lord’s Blows Overwhelm Cāṇūra

1
The blows from the Supreme Lord’s limbs fall upon Cāṇūra like crushing lightning bolts.
2
These blows break every part of Cāṇūra’s body, causing increasing pain and fatigue.
3
The purport explains that Cāṇūra’s elbows, arms, knees and other limbs are all weakening.

Key points from the purport

Cāṇūra’s elbows, arms, knees and other limbs were all weakening.

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 44: The Killing of Kaṁsa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The ladies in the arena, seeing the violent battle, began to condemn the King and all the members of the assembly: “A respectable audience should never have allowed a wrestling match between such huge wrestlers, whose limbs are as tough as lightning bolts, and such tender young boys, who are just entering youth. An intelligent person should never enter an assembly if he sees injustice being done there.”

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.44