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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

8.11.21 8.11.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.11.22

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

शताभ्यां मातलिं पाको रथं सावयवं पृथक् ।

सकृत्सन्धानमोक्षेण तदद्भ‍ुतमभूद् रणे ॥ २२ ॥

śatābhyāṁ mātaliṁ pāko

rathaṁ sāvayavaṁ pṛthak

sakṛt sandhāna-mokṣeṇa

tad adbhutam abhūd raṇe

Translation

Pāka, another demon, attacked both the chariot, with all its paraphernalia, and the chariot driver, Mātali, by fitting two hundred arrows to his bow and releasing them all simultaneously. This was indeed a wonderful act on the battlefield.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pāka’s Remarkable Act of Warfare

1
Pāka attacked the chariot together with all its paraphernalia.
2
He also attacked Mātali, the chariot driver, fitting two hundred arrows to his bow and releasing them simultaneously.
3
The translation calls this a wonderful act on the battlefield, drawing attention to the extraordinary feat.

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

Chapter 11: King Indra Annihilates the Demons

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

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. Indra, King of heaven, severed the heads of Bala and Pāka and released the weapon known as kuliśa, the thunderbolt, against Namuci’s shoulder.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 8.11