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Canto 6 · Prescribed Duties for Mankind · 19 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.
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Canto 6 · Chapter 10: The Battle Between the Demigods and Vṛtrāsura
6.10.296.10.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.10.30

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

वृत्रोऽसुरांस्ताननुगान् मनस्वी

प्रधावत: प्रेक्ष्य बभाष एतत् ।

पलायितं प्रेक्ष्य बलं च भग्नं

भयेन तीव्रेण विहस्य वीर: ॥ ३० ॥

vṛtro ’surāṁs tān anugān manasvī

pradhāvataḥ prekṣya babhāṣa etat

palāyitaṁ prekṣya balaṁ ca bhagnaṁ

bhayena tīvreṇa vihasya vīraḥ

Translation

Seeing his army broken and all the asuras, even those known as great heroes, fleeing the battlefield out of intense fear, Vṛtrāsura, who was truly a great-minded hero, smiled and spoke the following words.

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.

True Heroism Amid Fear

  1. 1

    Vṛtrāsura saw that his army was broken and his followers were fleeing.

  2. 2

    Even those known as great heroes fled the battlefield out of intense fear.

  3. 3

    Vṛtrāsura, described as truly a great-minded hero, smiled and prepared to speak.

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:

Vṛtrāsura, however, seeing the demons fleeing, instructed them in the importance of fighting and dying in the battlefield. One who is victorious in battle gains material possessions, and one who dies in the battlefield attains a residence at once in the celestial heavens.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. vṛtraḥVṛtrāsura, the commander of the demons
  2. asurānall the demons
  3. tānthem
  4. anugānhis followers
  5. manasvīthe great-minded
  6. pradhāvataḥfleeing
  7. prekṣyaobserving
  8. babhāṣaspoke
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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 6.10

    In this verse: “fear”

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 contrast do I see between being known as a hero and Vṛtrāsura’s response?

Practice

When a difficulty arises today, pause before speaking rather than immediately reacting with fear.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTrue Heroism Amid FearThis 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 6.10.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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