1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter

Canto

Canto 11 · General History · 31 chapters

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

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 11 · Chapter 30: The Disappearance of the Yadu Dynasty

11.30.20 11.30.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.30.21

Nirodha· Winding up

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 11.30.5inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

ता वज्रकल्पा ह्यभवन् परिघा मुष्टिना भृता: ।

जघ्नुर्द्विषस्तै: कृष्णेन वार्यमाणास्तु तं च ते ॥ २१ ॥

tā vajra-kalpā hy abhavan

parighā muṣṭinā bhṛtāḥ

jaghnur dviṣas taiḥ kṛṣṇena

vāryamāṇās tu taṁ ca te

Translation

As soon as they took these cane stalks in their fists, the stalks changed into iron rods as hard as thunderbolts. With these weapons the warriors began attacking one another again and again, and when Lord Kṛṣṇa tried to stop them they attacked Him as well.

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.

The Warriors Attack Even Lord Kṛṣṇa

1
As soon as the warriors grasped the cane stalks, they became iron rods as hard as thunderbolts.
2
With these weapons, the warriors attacked one another again and again.
3
Lord Kṛṣṇa tried to stop them, but they attacked Him as well.

How it feels

Sorrow and shock → Remembrance and acceptance. Devotees face a devastating change in visible association.

Chapters 30–31 of Canto 11: The Yadu dynasty and Kṛṣṇa disappear. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 30: The Disappearance of the Yadu Dynasty

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Thus losing their intelligence, they quarreled among themselves and began killing one another, until not a man was left alive. Afterward, Śrī Baladeva went to the shore of the ocean and by the mystic strength of yoga gave up His body.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 11.30

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

tāḥthose stalks
vajra-kalpāḥas strong as thunderbolts
hiindeed
abhavanbecame
parighāḥiron staffs
muṣṭināwith their fists
bhṛtāḥheld
jaghnuḥthey attacked

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead
What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 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 strikes me about the warriors attacking the very Lord who tried to stop them?

Practice

Reread the verse slowly, noticing especially Lord Kṛṣṇa’s attempt to stop the fighting.

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Warriors Attack Even Lord KṛṣṇaThis 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 11.30.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories