1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 8 · Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations · 24 chapters

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.10.28

Who is speaking and story frame

युयोध बलिरिन्द्रेण तारकेण गुहोऽस्यत ।

वरुणो हेतिनायुध्यन्मित्रो राजन्प्रहेतिना ॥ २८ ॥

yuyodha balir indreṇa

tārakeṇa guho ’syata

varuṇo hetināyudhyan

mitro rājan prahetinā

Translation

O King, Mahārāja Bali fought with Indra, Kārttikeya with Tāraka, Varuṇa with Heti, and Mitra with Praheti.

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 Leaders Meet Their Opponents

  1. 1

    Mahārāja Bali fought with Indra.

  2. 2

    Kārttikeya fought with Tāraka.

  3. 3

    Varuṇa fought with Heti, and Mitra fought with Praheti.

How it feels

Danger and ambition → Divine rescue and surprise. Cooperation, rivalry and revelation alternate rapidly.

Chapters 5–12 of Canto 8: Churning the ocean, poison and nectar. 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 the Demons

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Indra, King of heaven, fought with Bali, and other demigods, like Vāyu, Agni and Varuṇa, fought against other leaders of the demons. In this fight the demons were defeated, and to save themselves from death they began to manifest many illusions through material maneuvers, killing many soldiers on the side of the demigods.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yuyodhafought
  2. baliḥMahārāja Bali
  3. indreṇawith King Indra
  4. tārakeṇawith Tāraka
  5. guhaḥKārttikeya
  6. asyataengaged in fighting
  7. varuṇaḥthe demigod Varuṇa
  8. hetināwith Heti
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 8.10

    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 naming each pair help you follow the battle more carefully?

Practice

Write the four pairs of opponents, then check them against the translation.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Live this todayThe Leaders Meet Their OpponentsThis 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 8.10.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.