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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
  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 66: Pauṇḍraka, the False Vāsudeva
10.66.2010.66.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.66.21

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 10.66.19inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

इति क्षिप्‍त्‍वा शितैर्बाणैर्विरथीकृत्य पौण्ड्रकम् ।

शिरोऽवृश्चद् रथाङ्गेन वज्रेणेन्द्रो यथा गिरे: ॥ २१ ॥

iti kṣiptvā śitair bāṇair

virathī-kṛtya pauṇḍrakam

śiro ’vṛścad rathāṅgena

vajreṇendro yathā gireḥ

Translation

Having thus derided Pauṇḍraka, Lord Kṛṣṇa destroyed his chariot with His sharp arrows. The Lord then cut off his head with the Sudarśana disc, just as Lord Indra lops off a mountain peak with his thunderbolt weapon.

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.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pauṇḍraka Falls Before the Lord

  1. 1

    After deriding Pauṇḍraka, Lord Kṛṣṇa destroyed his chariot with sharp arrows.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa then cut off Pauṇḍraka’s head with the Sudarśana disc.

  3. 3

    The verse compares this act to Lord Indra cutting off a mountain peak with his thunderbolt weapon.

How it feels

Conflict and affection → Devotional wonder. Divine intimacy coexists with royal duties.

Chapters 60–69 of Canto 10: Palace life, family bonds and heroic protection. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 66: Pauṇḍraka, the False Vāsudeva

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When Kṛṣṇa beheaded Kāśirāja, the King’s head flew into his city, and when his queens, sons and other relatives saw it, they all began to lament. At that time a son of Kāśirāja’s named Sudakṣiṇa, wanting to avenge his father’s death, began worshiping Lord Śiva with the intention of destroying his father’s killer.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.66
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. itiwith these words
  2. kṣiptvāderiding
  3. śitaiḥsharp
  4. bāṇaiḥwith His arrows
  5. virathīchariotless
  6. kṛtyamaking
  7. pauṇḍrakamPauṇḍraka
  8. śiraḥhis head
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 Pauṇḍraka’s defeat clarify the difference between the Lord and His imitator?

Practice

Read the verse once more, then offer a brief prayer to serve Kṛṣṇa rather than imitate Him.

Live this todayPauṇḍraka Falls Before the LordThis 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.

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