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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 6 · Prescribed Duties for Mankind · 19 chapters

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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 11: The Transcendental Qualities of Vṛtrāsura

6.11.7 6.11.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.11.8

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.11.6inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

ममर्द पद्‌भ्यां सुरसैन्यमातुरं

निमीलिताक्षं रणरङ्गदुर्मद: ।

गां कम्पयन्नुद्यतशूल ओजसा

नालं वनं यूथपतिर्यथोन्मद: ॥ ८ ॥

mamarda padbhyāṁ sura-sainyam āturaṁ

nimīlitākṣaṁ raṇa-raṅga-durmadaḥ

gāṁ kampayann udyata-śūla ojasā

nālaṁ vanaṁ yūtha-patir yathonmadaḥ

Translation

As the demigods closed their eyes in fear, Vṛtrāsura, taking up his trident and making the earth tremble with his great strength, trampled the demigods beneath his feet on the battlefield the way a mad elephant tramples hollow bamboos in the forest.

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.

Vṛtrāsura Overwhelms the Fearful Army

1
The demigods closed their eyes in fear.
2
Vṛtrāsura took up his trident, and his great strength made the earth tremble.
3
He trampled the demigods like a mad elephant trampling hollow bamboos in a forest.

How it feels

Danger → Fearless longing. A seeming enemy reveals the heart of a great devotee.

Chapters 11–13 of Canto 6: Vṛtrāsura's prayers and final battle. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 11: The Transcendental Qualities of Vṛtrāsura

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Unable to tolerate this, Indra, the King of the demigods, threw his club at Vṛtrāsura, but Vṛtrāsura was such a great hero that he easily caught the club with his left hand and used it to beat Indra’s elephant. Struck by the blow of Vṛtrāsura, the elephant was pushed back fourteen yards and fell, with Indra on its back.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 6.11

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

mamardatrampled
padbhyāmby his feet
sura-sainyamthe army of the demigods
āturamwho were very afraid
nimīlita-akṣamclosing their eyes
raṇa-raṅga-durmadaḥarrogant on the battlefield
gāmthe surface of the globe
kampayancausing to tremble

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 6.11
In this verse: “fear”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the comparison with hollow bamboos reveal about the army’s helplessness?

Practice

Reread the comparison in this verse and briefly describe it in your own words.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayVṛtrāsura Overwhelms the Fearful ArmyThis 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.

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