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

12345678910111213141516171819

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 6 · Chapter 10: The Battle Between the Demigods and Vṛtrāsura
6.10.286.10.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.10.29

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

ते स्वप्रयासं वितथं निरीक्ष्य

हरावभक्ता हतयुद्धदर्पा: ।

पलायनायाजिमुखे विसृज्य

पतिं मनस्ते दधुरात्तसारा: ॥ २९ ॥

te sva-prayāsaṁ vitathaṁ nirīkṣya

harāv abhaktā hata-yuddha-darpāḥ

palāyanāyāji-mukhe visṛjya

patiṁ manas te dadhur ātta-sārāḥ

Translation

The asuras, who are never devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, lost their pride in fighting when they found all their endeavors futile. Leaving aside their leader even in the very beginning of the fight, they decided to flee because all their prowess had been taken away by the enemy.

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.

Pride Collapses When Endeavors Fail

  1. 1

    The asuras are described as nondevotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    When they saw that all their endeavors were futile, they lost their pride in fighting.

  3. 3

    With their prowess taken away by the enemy, they decided to flee. They abandoned their leader at the very beginning of the fight.

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

Further reading

Chapter 10: The Battle Between the Demigods and Vṛtrāsura

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Unable to tolerate the effulgence of the demigods, the asuras fled the battle, leaving Vṛtrāsura, their commander in chief, to fight for himself. Vṛtrāsura, however, seeing the demons fleeing, instructed them in the importance of fighting and dying in the battlefield.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tethey (the demons)
  2. sva-prayāsamtheir own endeavors
  3. vitathamfruitless
  4. nirīkṣyaseeing
  5. harau abhaktāḥthe asuras, those who are not devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  6. hatadefeated
  7. yuddha-darpāḥtheir pride in fighting
  8. palāyanāyafor leaving the battlefield
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

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 6.10

    In this verse: “pride”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 6.10

    In this verse: “devotees”

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 demons’ retreat reveal about confidence based on pride?

Practice

Notice one thing you feel proud of today, and reflect on how you would respond if that effort failed.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPride Collapses When Endeavors FailThis 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 6.10.29? 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