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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

10.59.2-3 10.59.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.59.4

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.59.2-3inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

गदया निर्बिभेदाद्रीन् शस्‍त्रदुर्गाणि सायकै: ।

चक्रेणाग्निं जलं वायुं मुरपाशांस्तथासिना ॥ ४ ॥

gadayā nirbibhedādrīn

śastra-durgāṇi sāyakaiḥ

cakreṇāgniṁ jalaṁ vāyuṁ

mura-pāśāṁs tathāsinā

Translation

With His club the Lord broke through the rock fortifications; with His arrows, the weapon fortifications; with His disc, the fire, water and wind fortifications; and with His sword, the mura-pāśa cables.

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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.

The Lord Breaks Through Every Fortification

1
The Lord broke through the rock fortifications with His club and the weapon fortifications with His arrows.
2
He broke through the fire, water and wind fortifications with His disc.
3
He cut the mura-pāśa cables with His sword. None of these defenses stopped His advance.

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:

On a field outside the city He decapitated the demon Mura with His disc. Then He fought Mura’s seven sons and sent them all to the abode of death, after which Narakāsura himself entered the battlefield on the back of an elephant.

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