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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

10.59.6 10.59.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.59.7

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

त्रिशूलमुद्यम्य सुदुर्निरीक्षणो

युगान्तसूर्यानलरोचिरुल्बण: ।

ग्रसंस्‍त्रिलोकीमिव पञ्चभिर्मुखै-

रभ्यद्रवत्तार्क्ष्यसुतं यथोरग: ॥ ७ ॥

tri-śūlam udyamya su-durnirīkṣaṇo

yugānta-sūryānala-rocir ulbaṇaḥ

grasaṁs tri-lokīm iva pañcabhir mukhair

abhyadravat tārkṣya-sutaṁ yathoragaḥ

Translation

Shining with the blinding, terrible effulgence of the sun’s fire at the end of a millennium, Mura seemed to be swallowing up the three worlds with his five mouths. He lifted up his trident and fell upon Garuḍa, the son of Tārkṣya, like an attacking snake.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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.

Mura Launches His Terrible Attack

1
Mura shone with a blinding, terrible effulgence like the sun’s fire at the end of a millennium.
2
With his five mouths, he seemed to be swallowing the three worlds.
3
He raised his trident and attacked Garuḍa, the son of Tārkṣya, like an attacking snake.

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:

Together with Queen Satyabhāmā, the Lord mounted His carrier Garuḍa and traveled to the capital of Narakāsura’s kingdom. On a field outside the city He decapitated the demon Mura with His disc.

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