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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 11: King Indra Annihilates the Demons
8.11.118.11.13

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.11.12

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.11.10inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

प्राहरत् कुलिशं तस्मा अमोघं परमर्दन: ।

सयानो न्यपतद् भूमौ छिन्नपक्ष इवाचल: ॥ १२ ॥

prāharat kuliśaṁ tasmā

amoghaṁ para-mardanaḥ

sayāno nyapatad bhūmau

chinna-pakṣa ivācalaḥ

Translation

When Indra, the defeater of enemies, released his infallible thunderbolt scepter at Bali Mahārāja with a desire to kill him, Bali Mahārāja indeed fell to the ground with his airplane, like a mountain with its wings cut off.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Bali Falls With His Airplane

  1. 1

    Indra released his infallible thunderbolt scepter at Bali Mahārāja with the desire to kill him.

  2. 2

    Bali Mahārāja fell to the ground with his airplane, like a mountain whose wings had been cut off.

  3. 3

    Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Vedic literature describes mountains flying with wings. When such mountains die, they fall and remain as very large dead bodies.

Key points from the purport
  • In many descriptions in Vedic literature it is found that mountains also fly in the sky with wings.
  • When such mountains are dead, they fall to the ground, where they stay as very large dead bodies.

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 11: King Indra Annihilates the Demons

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

King Indra released his thunderbolt against Bali, and when Bali fell, his friend Jambhāsura attacked Indra, who then cut off Jambhāsura’s head with his thunderbolt. When Nārada Muni learned that Jambhāsura had been killed, he informed Jambhāsura’s relatives Namuci, Bala and Pāka, who then went to the battlefield and attacked the demigods.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. prāharatinflicted
  2. kuliśamthunderbolt scepter
  3. tasmaiunto him (Bali Mahārāja)
  4. amoghaminfallible
  5. para-mardanaḥIndra, who is expert in defeating the enemy
  6. sa-yānaḥwith his airplane
  7. nyapatatfell down
  8. bhūmauon the ground
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 the comparison to a fallen mountain help me picture Bali Mahārāja’s fall?

Practice

Reread the mountain comparison and note how the purport explains it.

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 8.11's connections

Live this todayBali Falls With His AirplaneThis 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 8.11.12? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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