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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.
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Canto 8 · Chapter 11: King Indra Annihilates the Demons
8.11.238.11.25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.11.24

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

सर्वत: शरकूटेन शक्रं सरथसारथिम् ।

छादयामासुरसुरा: प्रावृट्‌सूर्यमिवाम्बुदा: ॥ २४ ॥

sarvataḥ śara-kūṭena

śakraṁ saratha-sārathim

chādayām āsur asurāḥ

prāvṛṭ-sūryam ivāmbudāḥ

Translation

Other demons covered Indra, along with his chariot and chariot driver, with incessant showers of arrows, just as clouds cover the sun in the rainy season.

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.

Indra Hidden by Showers of Arrows

  1. 1

    Other demons sent incessant showers of arrows against Indra.

  2. 2

    The arrows covered Indra together with his chariot and chariot driver.

  3. 3

    The verse compares this covering to clouds hiding the sun in the rainy season.

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:

Hearing this voice, Indra began to think of how Namuci could be killed. He then thought of foam, which is neither moist nor dry.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sarvataḥall around
  2. śara-kūṭenaby a dense shower of arrows
  3. śakramIndra
  4. sa-rathawith his chariot
  5. sārathimand with his chariot driver
  6. chādayām āsuḥcovered
  7. asurāḥall the demons
  8. prāvṛṭin the rainy season
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 image of clouds covering the sun help you picture?

Practice

Write one sentence describing the verse’s comparison between the arrows and rainy-season clouds.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayIndra Hidden by Showers of ArrowsThis 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 8.11.24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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