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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.
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Canto 8 · Chapter 10: The Battle Between the Demigods and the Demons
8.10.438.10.45

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.10.44

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

तत: शूलं तत: प्रासं ततस्तोमरमृष्टय: ।

यद् यच्छस्त्रं समादद्यात्सर्वं तदच्छिनद् विभु: ॥ ४४ ॥

tataḥ śūlaṁ tataḥ prāsaṁ

tatas tomaram ṛṣṭayaḥ

yad yac chastraṁ samādadyāt

sarvaṁ tad acchinad vibhuḥ

Translation

Thereafter, one by one, Bali Mahārāja used a lance, prāsa, tomara, ṛṣṭis and other weapons, but whatever weapons he took up, Indra immediately cut them to pieces.

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.

Repeated Attacks Are Immediately Countered

  1. 1

    Bali Mahārāja continued taking up weapons one after another.

  2. 2

    He used a lance, prāsa, tomara, ṛṣṭis and other weapons.

  3. 3

    Whatever weapon he took up, Indra immediately cut it to pieces.

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. tataḥthereafter
  2. śūlamlance
  3. tataḥthereafter
  4. prāsamthe prāsa weapon
  5. tataḥthereafter
  6. tomaramthe tomara weapon
  7. ṛṣṭayaḥthe ṛṣṭi weapons
  8. yat yatwhatever and whichever
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

What does the repeated destruction of Bali Mahārāja’s weapons show about the outcome of these attacks?

Practice

Summarize the verse in one sentence, including both Bali Mahārāja’s repeated attempts and Indra’s immediate response.

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 todayRepeated Attacks Are Immediately CounteredThis 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 8.10.44? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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