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

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Canto 11 · General History · 31 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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.30.23

Who is speaking and story frame

अथ तावपि सङ्‌क्रु‌द्धावुद्यम्य कुरुनन्दन ।

एरकामुष्टिपरिघौ चरन्तौ जघ्नतुर्युधि ॥ २३ ॥

atha tāv api saṅkruddhāv

udyamya kuru-nandana

erakā-muṣṭi-parighau

carantau jaghnatur yudhi

Translation

O son of the Kurus, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma then became very angry. Picking up cane stalks, They moved about within the battle and began to kill with these clubs.

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.

Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma Enter the Battle

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma then became very angry.

  2. 2

    They picked up cane stalks and used them as clubs.

  3. 3

    Moving about within the battle, They began to kill with these clubs.

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

Further reading

Chapter 30: The Disappearance of the Yadu Dynasty

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

There they became absorbed in festivity, and by the illusory power of Lord Kṛṣṇa they became intoxicated from drinking liquor. Thus losing their intelligence, they quarreled among themselves and began killing one another, until not a man was left alive.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.30
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. athathen
  2. tauthose two (Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma)
  3. apialso
  4. saṅkruddhaugreatly angered
  5. udyamyajoining the fight
  6. kuru-nandanaO favorite son of the Kurus
  7. erakā-muṣṭithe canes in their fists
  8. parighauusing as clubs
3

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.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Can I attend carefully to this difficult scene without adding explanations the verse does not give?

Practice

Read the verse once slowly and summarize only what it says about Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa and Balarāma Enter 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 11.30.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.