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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 77: Lord Kṛṣṇa Slays the Demon Śālva

10.77.13 10.77.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.77.14

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 10.77.10inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तं च षोडशभिर्विद्ध्वा बाणै: सौभं च खे भ्रमत् ।

अविध्यच्छरसन्दोहै: खं सूर्य इव रश्मिभि: ॥ १४ ॥

taṁ ca ṣoḍaśabhir viddhvā

bānaiḥ saubhaṁ ca khe bhramat

avidhyac chara-sandohaiḥ

khaṁ sūrya iva raśmibhiḥ

Translation

Lord Kṛṣṇa then pierced Śālva with sixteen arrows and struck the Saubha airship with a deluge of arrows as it darted about the sky. Firing His arrows, the Lord appeared like the sun flooding the heavens with its rays.

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.

Kṛṣṇa’s Arrows Illuminate the Battle

1
Lord Kṛṣṇa pierced Śālva with sixteen arrows.
2
He also struck the Saubha airship with a deluge of arrows as it darted about the sky.
3
As He fired, the Lord appeared like the sun flooding the heavens with its rays.

How it feels

War and pride → Justice and protection. The public expression of divine power comes to the foreground.

Chapters 70–79 of Canto 10: Kingship, Jarāsandha and royal challenges. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 77: Lord Kṛṣṇa Slays the Demon Śālva

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Suddenly Śālva noticed the Lord and threw his spear at Kṛṣṇa’s charioteer, but the Lord shattered the weapon into hundreds of pieces and pierced Śālva and his Saubha vehicle with numerous arrows. Śālva responded by shooting an arrow that struck Kṛṣṇa’s left arm.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.77

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

tamhim, Śālva
caand
ṣoḍaśabhiḥwith sixteen
viddhvāpiercing
bāṇaiḥarrows
saubhamSaubha
caalso
khein the sky

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.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the comparison with the sun help you appreciate about the Lord’s appearance?

Practice

Reread the sun comparison and spend one minute remembering Lord Kṛṣṇa as described here.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Arrows Illuminate the BattleThis 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 10.77.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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