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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 59: The Killing of the Demon Naraka

10.59.36 10.59.38-39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.59.37

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.59.32inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

ऐरावतकुलेभांश्च चतुर्दन्तांस्तरस्विन: ।

पाण्डुरांश्च चतु:षष्टिं प्रेरयामास केशव: ॥ ३७ ॥

airāvata-kulebhāṁś ca

catur-dantāṁs tarasvinaḥ

pāṇḍurāṁś ca catuḥ-ṣaṣṭiṁ

prerayām āsa keśavaḥ

Translation

Lord Kṛṣṇa also dispatched sixty-four swift white elephants, descendants of Airāvata, who each sported four tusks.

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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 Dispatches Extraordinary Elephants

1
Lord Kṛṣṇa also dispatched sixty-four elephants.
2
These elephants were swift and white, and each had four tusks.
3
They were descendants of Airāvata.

How it feels

Yearning and danger → Marriage and reciprocity. A wider range of divine relationships appears.

Chapters 50–59 of Canto 10: Dvārakā, Rukmiṇī and royal rescues. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 59: The Killing of the Demon Naraka

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Indra had originally come to Lord Kṛṣṇa offering obeisances and begging Him to kill Narakāsura, but afterwards, when his business had been accomplished, he quarreled with the Lord. The demigods are prone to anger because they become intoxicated with pride in their opulences.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.59