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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
8.10.498.10.51

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.10.50

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

सृष्टो दैत्येन सुमहान्वह्नि: श्वसनसारथि: ।

सांवर्तक इवात्युग्रो विबुधध्वजिनीमधाक् ॥ ५० ॥

sṛṣṭo daityena sumahān

vahniḥ śvasana-sārathiḥ

sāṁvartaka ivātyugro

vibudha-dhvajinīm adhāk

Translation

A great devastating fire created by Bali Mahārāja began burning all the soldiers of the demigods. This fire, accompanied by blasting winds, seemed as terrible as the Sāṁvartaka fire, which appears at the time of dissolution.

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.

A Fire Like the Dissolution

  1. 1

    Bali Mahārāja created a great devastating fire that began burning all the demigod soldiers.

  2. 2

    Blasting winds accompanied the fire, making the scene especially terrible.

  3. 3

    The fire seemed as terrible as the Sāṁvartaka fire that appears at dissolution. The verse makes a comparison rather than saying dissolution had begun.

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 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. The demigods, finding no other recourse, surrendered again to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, who then appeared and counteracted all the illusions presented by the jugglery 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. sṛṣṭaḥcreated
  2. daityenaby the demon (Bali Mahārāja)
  3. su-mahānvery great, devastating
  4. vahniḥa fire
  5. śvasana-sārathiḥbeing carried by the blasting wind
  6. sāṁvartakaḥthe fire named Sāṁvartaka, which appears during the time of dissolution
  7. ivajust like
  8. ativery much
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 comparison with the Sāṁvartaka fire convey about the soldiers’ danger?

Practice

Notice the words “seemed as terrible as,” and write down what the comparison emphasizes.

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 todayA Fire Like the DissolutionThis 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 8.10.50? Get an answer from the verses themselves.