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 6 · Prescribed Duties for Mankind · 19 chapters

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

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 6 · Chapter 10: The Battle Between the Demigods and Vṛtrāsura

6.10.19-22 6.10.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.10.23

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.10.11inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

शूलै: परश्वधै: खड्‌गै: शतघ्नीभिर्भुशुण्डिभि: ।

सर्वतोऽवाकिरन् शस्त्रैरस्त्रैश्च विबुधर्षभान् ॥ २३ ॥

śūlaiḥ paraśvadhaiḥ khaḍgaiḥ

śataghnībhir bhuśuṇḍibhiḥ

sarvato ’vākiran śastrair

astraiś ca vibudharṣabhān

Translation

Armed with lances, tridents, axes, swords and other weapons like śataghnīs and bhuśuṇḍis, the demons attacked from different directions and scattered all the chiefs of the demigod armies.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Demons Attack From Every Direction

1
The demons attacked from different directions.
2
They carried lances, tridents, axes and swords, along with weapons called śataghnīs and bhuśuṇḍis.
3
Their attack scattered all the chiefs of the demigod armies.

How it feels

Offense and dread → Moral reckoning. Heroic power does not guarantee inner freedom.

Chapters 7–10 of Canto 6: Indra, Bṛhaspati and the emergence of Vṛtrāsura. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 10: The Battle Between the Demigods and Vṛtrāsura

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Armed with the thunderbolt weapon, they prepared themselves to fight and got up on the backs of elephants. At the end of Satya-yuga and the beginning of Tretā-yuga, a great fight took place between the demigods and the asuras.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 6.10

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

śūlaiḥby spears
paraśvadhaiḥby axes
khaḍgaiḥby swords
śataghnībhiḥby śataghnīs
bhuśuṇḍibhiḥby bhuśuṇḍis
sarvataḥall around
avākiranscattered
śastraiḥwith weapons

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

How does the attack from different directions help me understand the pressure on the demigod chiefs?

Practice

Summarize this verse in one sentence, including the direction of the attack and its effect.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Demons Attack From Every DirectionThis 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 6.10.23? 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