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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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.46.25

Who is speaking and story frame

तालत्रयं महासारं धनुर्यष्टिमिवेभराट् ।

बभञ्जैकेन हस्तेन सप्ताहमदधाद् गिरिम् ॥ २५ ॥

tāla-trayaṁ mahā-sāraṁ

dhanur yaṣṭim ivebha-rāṭ

babhañjaikena hastena

saptāham adadhād girim

Translation

With the ease of a royal elephant breaking a stick, Kṛṣṇa broke a powerful, giant bow three tālas long. He also held a mountain aloft for seven days with just one hand.

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’s Extraordinary Strength Is Effortless

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa broke an extremely powerful bow as easily as a royal elephant breaks a stick.

  2. 2

    According to Ācārya Viśvanātha, the bow’s length of three tālas was about two hundred seventy feet.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa also held a mountain aloft for seven days with just one hand.

Key points from the purport
  • According to Ācārya Viśvanātha, a tāla (“palm tree”) is a measurement of about sixty hastas, or ninety feet.
  • Thus the great bow Kṛṣṇa broke was two hundred seventy feet long.

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

Heartache → Unbroken remembrance. Love endures and deepens despite visible absence.

Chapters 46–49 of Canto 10: Uddhava, the gopīs and the Song of the Bee. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 46: Uddhava Visits Vṛndāvana

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Just see how They have so easily dispatched Kaṁsa, the wrestlers, the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa and many other demons!” As Nanda remembered Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, his throat choked up with tears and he could speak no further.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.46
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tāla-trayamas long as three palm trees
  2. mahā-sāramextremely solid
  3. dhanuḥthe bow
  4. yaṣṭima stick
  5. ivaas
  6. ibha-rāṭa royal elephant
  7. babhañjaHe broke
  8. ekenawith one
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

What strikes you about the ease with which Kṛṣṇa performed these acts?

Practice

Spend one minute remembering Kṛṣṇa holding a mountain with one hand.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Extraordinary Strength Is EffortlessThis 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 10.46.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.