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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 9: Appearance of the Demon Vṛtrāsura

6.9.10 6.9.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.9.11

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.9.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

हतपुत्रस्ततस्त्वष्टा जुहावेन्द्राय शत्रवे ।

इन्द्रशत्रो विवर्धस्व मा चिरं जहि विद्विषम् ॥ ११ ॥

hata-putras tatas tvaṣṭā

juhāvendrāya śatrave

indra-śatro vivardhasva

mā ciraṁ jahi vidviṣam

Translation

After Viśvarūpa was killed, his father, Tvaṣṭā, performed ritualistic ceremonies to kill Indra. He offered oblations in the sacrificial fire, saying, “O enemy of Indra, flourish to kill your enemy without delay.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Careful Chanting Preserves the Intended Meaning

1
After Viśvarūpa was killed, Tvaṣṭā performed a sacrifice to create an enemy who would kill Indra.
2
Tvaṣṭā chanted the mantra long instead of short. This changed its meaning from “the enemy of Indra” to “Indra, who is an enemy.”
3
Because of this defect in chanting, Vṛtrāsura appeared as one of whom Indra was the enemy. The result differed from Tvaṣṭā’s intention.

Key points from the purport

Tvaṣṭā intended to chant the word indra-śatro, meaning, “O enemy of Indra.”
Unfortunately, instead of chanting the mantra short, Tvaṣṭā chanted it long, and its meaning changed from “the enemy of Indra” to “Indra, who is an enemy.”
Consequently instead of an enemy of Indra’s, there emerged the body of Vṛtrāsura, of whom Indra was the enemy.

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

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

Chapter 9: Appearance of the Demon Vṛtrāsura

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

After Viśvarūpa was killed, his father, Tvaṣṭā, performed a sacrifice to kill King Indra. Unfortunately, if mantras are chanted irregularly, they yield an opposite result.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 6.9

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

hata-putraḥwho lost his son
tataḥthereafter
tvaṣṭāTvaṣṭā
juhāvaperformed a sacrifice
indrāyaof Indra
śatravefor creating an enemy
indra-śatroO enemy of Indra
vivardhasvaincrease

Key ideas in this verse

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

Ūti · The creative impetus
Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10
Vātsalya · Parental affection
Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 6.9
In this verse: “father”
Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting
Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 6.9
In this verse: “chanted”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How much care do I give to the pronunciation and meaning of what I chant?

Practice

Carefully reread the purport’s explanation of the two meanings of indra-śatro.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayCareful Chanting Preserves the Intended MeaningThis 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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