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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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 6 · Chapter 12: Vṛtrāsura’s Glorious Death
6.12.346.13.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.12.35

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.12.23inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

वृत्रस्य देहान्निष्क्रान्तमात्मज्योतिररिन्दम ।

पश्यतां सर्वदेवानामलोकं समपद्यत ॥ ३५ ॥

vṛtrasya dehān niṣkrāntam

ātma-jyotir arindama

paśyatāṁ sarva-devānām

alokaṁ samapadyata

Translation

O King Parīkṣit, subduer of enemies, the living spark then came forth from Vṛtrāsura’s body and returned home, back to Godhead. While all the demigods looked on, he entered the transcendental world to become an associate of Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Vṛtrāsura Returns Home, Back to Godhead

  1. 1

    Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that Vṛtrāsura stopped his bodily activities and became situated in trance, thinking of returning home, back to Godhead.

  2. 2

    Actually, Indra cut to pieces the body left by Vṛtrāsura; Vṛtrāsura himself was not killed. His neck was so stiff during his trance that the thunderbolt took 360 days to cut it.

  3. 3

    In his original consciousness, Vṛtrāsura returned to the transcendental world to become an associate of Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa. The purport identifies this world as Vaikuṇṭhaloka, where Saṅkarṣaṇa eternally resides.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that Indra, not Vṛtrāsura, was actually killed.
  • Actually it was the body left by Vṛtrāsura that was cut to pieces by Indra; Vṛtrāsura himself was not killed.
  • In his original consciousness, Vṛtrāsura returned home, back to Godhead, to become an associate of Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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. vṛtrasyaof Vṛtrāsura
  2. dehātfrom the body
  3. niṣkrāntamcoming out
  4. ātma-jyotiḥthe spirit soul, which was as brilliant as the effulgence of Brahman
  5. arim-damaO King Parīkṣit, subduer of enemies
  6. paśyatāmwere watching
  7. sarva-devānāmwhile all the demigods
  8. alokamthe supreme abode, filled with the Brahman effulgence
  9. samapadyataachieved
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.12

    In this verse: “king”

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

How does Vṛtrāsura’s return to Godhead change your understanding of his apparent death?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute remembering Vṛtrāsura’s goal: returning home, back to Godhead, to become an associate of Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayVṛtrāsura Returns Home, Back to GodheadThis 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 6.12.35? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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