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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 12: Vṛtrāsura’s Glorious Death
6.12.27-296.12.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.12.30

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.12.23inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

वृत्रग्रस्तं तमालोक्य सप्रजापतय: सुरा: ।

हा कष्टमिति निर्विण्णाश्चुक्रुशु: समहर्षय: ॥ ३० ॥

vṛtra-grastaṁ tam ālokya

saprajāpatayaḥ surāḥ

hā kaṣṭam iti nirviṇṇāś

cukruśuḥ samaharṣayaḥ

Translation

When the demigods, along with Brahmā, other prajāpatis and other great saintly persons, saw that Indra had been swallowed by the demon, they became very morose. “Alas,” they lamented. “What a calamity! What a calamity!”

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.

The Witnesses Lament for Indra

  1. 1

    The demigods saw that Indra had been swallowed by the demon.

  2. 2

    Brahmā, other prajāpatis and great saintly persons were among the witnesses.

  3. 3

    They became very morose and lamented, calling what they had seen a calamity.

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

Further reading

Chapter 12: Vṛtrāsura’s Glorious Death

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Vṛtrāsura then assumed a gigantic form and swallowed King Indra, but Indra, being protected by the talisman known as Nārāyaṇa-kavaca, was able to protect himself even within Vṛtrāsura’s body. Thus he emerged from Vṛtrāsura’s abdomen and severed the demon’s head from his body with his powerful thunderbolt.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.12
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. vṛtra-grastamswallowed by Vṛtrāsura
  2. tamhim (Indra)
  3. ālokyaseeing
  4. sa-prajāpatayaḥwith Lord Brahmā and other prajāpatis
  5. surāḥall the demigods
  6. hāalas
  7. kaṣṭamwhat a tribulation
  8. itithus
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 6.12

    In this verse: “lamented”

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 their lament reveal about their response to Indra’s danger?

Practice

Pause over the words “What a calamity!” and reflect on the witnesses’ sorrow.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Witnesses Lament for IndraThis 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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