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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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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 44: The Killing of Kaṁsa
10.44.2110.44.24-25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 10.44.22-23

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

नाचलत्तत्प्रहारेण मालाहत इव द्विप: । बाह्वोर्निगृह्य चाणूरं बहुशो भ्रामयन् हरि: ॥ २२ ॥ भूपृष्ठे पोथयामास तरसा क्षीणजीवितम् । विस्रस्ताकल्पकेशस्रगिन्द्रध्वज इवापतत् ॥ २३ ॥

nācalat tat-prahāreṇa

mālāhata iva dvipaḥ

bāhvor nigṛhya cāṇūraṁ

bahuśo bhrāmayan hariḥ

bhū-pṛṣṭhe pothayām āsa

tarasā kṣīṇa jīvitam

visrastākalpa-keśa-srag

indra-dhvaja ivāpatat

Translation

No more shaken by the demon’s mighty blows than an elephant struck with a flower garland, Lord Kṛṣṇa grabbed Cāṇūra by his arms, swung him around several times and hurled him onto the ground with great force. His clothes, hair and garland scattering, the wrestler fell down dead, like a huge festival column collapsing.

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.

Kṛṣṇa Remains Unshaken

  1. 1

    Cāṇūra’s mighty blows did not shake Lord Kṛṣṇa, just as a flower garland would not shake an elephant.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa seized Cāṇūra by his arms, swung him around and hurled him to the ground. The wrestler fell down dead, with his clothes, hair and garland scattering.

  3. 3

    Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains the comparison to a festival column: in Bengal, people erect a tall, human-shaped column decorated with flags and banners. Cāṇūra fell as such a column might fall.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains the words indra-dhvaja as follows: “In Bengal, on the occasion of a certain festival, people erect a tall column in the form of a man and decorate it with flags, banners, etc. He [Cāṇūra] fell just as such a pole might fall.”

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

Further reading

Chapter 44: The Killing of Kaṁsa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Śrī Kṛṣṇa then grabbed Cāṇūra’s arms, whirled him around several times and threw him to the ground, killing him. Muṣṭika met a similar fate: after being struck powerfully by Lord Baladeva’s palm, he began vomiting blood and then fell down dead.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.44
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. na acalatHe (Lord Kṛṣṇa) did not move
  2. tat-prahāreṇabecause of his blows
  3. mālāwith a garland
  4. āhatastruck
  5. ivaas
  6. dvipaḥan elephant
  7. bāhvoḥby the two arms
  8. nigṛhyaseizing
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

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 the image of an elephant struck with a garland deepen my appreciation of Kṛṣṇa’s strength?

Practice

Reread the opening comparison and spend a quiet moment appreciating Kṛṣṇa’s unshaken strength.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Remains UnshakenThis 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 10.44.22-23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.