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 3 · The Status Quo · 33 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 3 · Chapter 18: The Battle Between Lord Boar and the Demon Hiraṇyākṣa
3.18.22-233.18.25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.18.24

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 3.18.24inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

मैनं मायाविनं द‍ृप्तं निरङ्कुशमसत्तमम् ।

आक्रीड बालवद्देव यथाशीविषमुत्थितम् ॥ २४ ॥

mainaṁ māyāvinaṁ dṛptaṁ

niraṅkuśam asattamam

ākrīḍa bālavad deva

yathāśīviṣam utthitam

Translation

Lord Brahmā continued: My dear Lord, there is no need to play with this serpentine demon, who is always very skilled in conjuring tricks and is arrogant, self-sufficient and most wicked.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Brahmā Requests an End to Wickedness

  1. 1

    Brahmā described the demon as skilled in conjuring tricks, arrogant, self-sufficient and most wicked.

  2. 2

    The Lord could have killed the demon at once, but instead He played with him. The purport compares this to a child playing with a serpent.

  3. 3

    Brahmā considered the demon more wicked and undesirable than a serpent. He therefore requested that the Lord kill him without delay.

Key points from the purport
  • No one is unhappy when a serpent is killed.
  • Similarly, the Lord could have killed the demon at once, but He played with him in the same way as a child plays with a snake before killing it.
  • Brahmā requested, however, that since the demon was more wicked and undesirable than a serpent, there was no need to play with him.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Threat and anger → Rescue and wonder. Divine protection appears amid cosmic confrontation.

Chapters 13–19 of Canto 3: Varāha, Jaya and Vijaya, Hiraṇyākṣa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 18: The Battle Between Lord Boar and the Demon Hiraṇyākṣa

Hiraṇyākṣa challenges Lord Varāha, who protects the earth and fights him as Brahmā prays for victory.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. mādo not
  2. enamhim
  3. māyā-vinamskilled in conjuring tricks
  4. dṛptamarrogant
  5. niraṅkuśamself-sufficient
  6. asat-tamammost wicked
  7. ākrīḍaplay with
  8. bāla-vatlike a child
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 3.18

    In this verse: “child”

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 the Lord’s ability to end the combat at once shape your understanding of this scene?

Practice

Read Brahmā’s request once more, remembering that the Lord was fully able to defeat the demon.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayBrahmā Requests an End to WickednessThis 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 3.18.24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
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