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

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Canto 8 · Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations · 24 chapters

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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 8 · Chapter 10: The Battle Between the Demigods and the Demons
8.10.408.10.42

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.10.41

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

बलिर्महेन्द्रं दशभिस्त्रिभिरैरावतं शरै: ।

चतुर्भिश्चतुरो वाहानेकेनारोहमार्च्छयत् ॥ ४१ ॥

balir mahendraṁ daśabhis

tribhir airāvataṁ śaraiḥ

caturbhiś caturo vāhān

ekenāroham ārcchayat

Translation

Mahārāja Bali then attacked Indra with ten arrows and attacked Airāvata, Indra’s carrier elephant, with three arrows. With four arrows he attacked the four horsemen guarding Airāvata’s legs, and with one arrow he attacked the driver of the elephant.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Commander’s Carrier Was Also Protected

  1. 1

    Mahārāja Bali attacked Indra with ten arrows and Airāvata, his carrier elephant, with three.

  2. 2

    He directed four arrows at the four horsemen guarding Airāvata’s legs and one at the elephant’s driver.

  3. 3

    Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that vāhān refers to these mounted guards. Military arrangements included protection for the legs of the elephant bearing the commander.

Key points from the purport
  • The word vāhān refers to the soldiers on horseback who protected the legs of the carrier elephants.
  • According to the system of military arrangement, the legs of the elephant bearing the commander were also protected.

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:

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. baliḥMahārāja Bali
  2. mahā-indramthe King of heaven
  3. daśabhiḥwith ten
  4. tribhiḥwith three
  5. airāvatamAirāvata, carrying Indra
  6. śaraiḥby arrows
  7. caturbhiḥby four arrows
  8. caturaḥthe four
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

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 8.10

    In this verse: “guarding”, “protection”

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 this arrangement show about the protection surrounding the commander?

Practice

Make a short list of those attacked, noting the protective role of the four horsemen.

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.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 8.10's connections

Live this todayThe Commander’s Carrier Was Also ProtectedThis 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 8.10.41? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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