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 4 · The Creation of the Fourth Order · 31 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

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 4 · Chapter 10: Dhruva Mahārāja’s Fight with the Yakṣas
4.10.154.10.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.10.16

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.10.6inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

धनुर्विस्फूर्जयन्दिव्यं द्विषतां खेदमुद्वहन् ।

अस्त्रौघं व्यधमद्बाणैर्घनानीकमिवानिल: ॥ १६ ॥

dhanur visphūrjayan divyaṁ

dviṣatāṁ khedam udvahan

astraughaṁ vyadhamad bāṇair

ghanānīkam ivānilaḥ

Translation

Dhruva Mahārāja’s bow and arrows twanged and hissed, causing lamentation in the hearts of his enemies. He began to shoot incessant arrows, shattering all their different weapons, just as the blasting wind scatters the assembled clouds in the sky.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Dhruva Shatters the Enemy’s Weapons

  1. 1

    Dhruva Mahārāja’s bow twanged and his arrows hissed. These sounds caused lamentation in his enemies’ hearts.

  2. 2

    He shot arrows incessantly and shattered their different weapons.

  3. 3

    His action is compared to a blasting wind scattering assembled clouds in the sky.

How it feels

Rejection → Transformed aspiration. A child's wounded pride is purified by divine encounter.

Chapters 8–12 of Canto 4: Dhruva seeks and encounters the Lord. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 10: Dhruva Mahārāja’s Fight with the Yakṣas

After Uttama is killed by a Yakṣa, Dhruva fights the Yakṣas and faces their illusions.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dhanuḥhis bow
  2. visphūrjayantwanging
  3. divyamwonderful
  4. dviṣatāmof the enemies
  5. khedamlamentation
  6. udvahancreating
  7. astra-oghamdifferent types of weapons
  8. vyadhamathe scattered
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

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 4.10

    In this verse: “lamentation”

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

What does the comparison with wind scattering clouds reveal about Dhruva Mahārāja’s strength?

Practice

Read the verse slowly and name the action illustrated by the wind-and-clouds comparison.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDhruva Shatters the Enemy’s WeaponsThis 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 4.10.16? 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