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

123456789101112131415161718192021222324

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 ›
Canto 8 · Chapter 10: The Battle Between the Demigods and the Demons
8.10.378.10.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.10.38

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.10.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तेषां पदाघातरथाङ्गचूर्णिता-

दायोधनादुल्बण उत्थितस्तदा ।

रेणुर्दिश: खं द्युमणिं च छादयन्

न्यवर्ततासृक् स्रुतिभि: परिप्लुतात् ॥ ३८ ॥

teṣāṁ padāghāta-rathāṅga-cūrṇitād

āyodhanād ulbaṇa utthitas tadā

reṇur diśaḥ khaṁ dyumaṇiṁ ca chādayan

nyavartatāsṛk-srutibhiḥ pariplutāt

Translation

Because of the impact on the ground of the legs of the demons and demigods and the wheels of the chariots, particles of dust flew violently into the sky and made a dust cloud that covered all directions of outer space, as far as the sun. But when the particles of dust were followed by drops of blood being sprinkled all over space, the dust cloud could no longer float in the sky.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

A Battlefield Description Prompts Cosmological Discussion

  1. 1

    The fighters’ steps and chariot wheels raised a dust cloud that covered the horizon. Sprinkled blood then prevented the dust from remaining in the sky.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Prabhupāda observes that the blood is described as reaching the sun, not the moon. He connects this detail with Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam’s account of the sun being nearer the earth than the moon.

  3. 3

    Using the distances presented in the purport, he calculates that a capsule traveling at 18,000 miles per hour would need at least seven months to reach the moon. On that basis, he rejects a four-day journey.

Key points from the purport
  • The cloud of dust covered the entire horizon, but when drops of blood sprayed up as far as the sun, the dust cloud could no longer float in the sky.
  • Therefore the distance between the earth and the moon would be about 95,000,000 miles.
  • That a space capsule on a moon excursion has reached the moon in four days is therefore impossible.

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 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:

In the beginning of the battle, the demigods prepared to defeat the demons. Indra, King of heaven, fought with Bali, and other demigods, like Vāyu, Agni and Varuṇa, fought against other leaders of the demons.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. teṣāmof all the people engaged on the battlefield
  2. padāghātabecause of beating on the ground by the legs of the demons and demigods
  3. ratha-aṅgaand by the wheels of the chariots
  4. cūrṇitātwhich was made into pieces of dust
  5. āyodhanātfrom the battlefield
  6. ulbaṇaḥvery forceful
  7. utthitaḥrising
  8. tadāat that time
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

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 Śrīla Prabhupāda connect a detail in the battle description with the cosmological account he presents?

Practice

Mark the detail in the translation that begins the purport’s discussion, and summarize that connection in one sentence.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayA Battlefield Description Prompts Cosmological DiscussionThis 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 8.10.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories