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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
8.11.348.11.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.11.35

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

तप:सारमयं त्वाष्ट्रं वृत्रो येन विपाटित: ।

अन्ये चापि बलोपेता: सर्वास्त्रैरक्षतत्वच: ॥ ३५ ॥

tapaḥ-sāramayaṁ tvāṣṭraṁ

vṛtro yena vipāṭitaḥ

anye cāpi balopetāḥ

sarvāstrair akṣata-tvacaḥ

Translation

Vṛtrāsura was the essence of the austerities undergone by Tvaṣṭā, yet the thunderbolt killed him. Indeed, not only he but also many other stalwart heroes, whose very skin could not be injured even by all kinds of weapons, were killed by the same thunderbolt.

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.

Remembering Victories Over Powerful Opponents

  1. 1

    Vṛtrāsura was the essence of the austerities undergone by Tvaṣṭā, yet the thunderbolt killed him.

  2. 2

    Many other stalwart heroes had skin that could not be injured even by all kinds of weapons.

  3. 3

    The same thunderbolt had killed those powerful heroes as well.

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:

Thus Indra and the other demigods killed many demons. Then, at the request of Lord Brahmā, Nārada went to the demigods and forbade them to kill the demons any longer.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tapaḥausterities
  2. sāra-mayamgreatly powerful
  3. tvāṣṭramperformed by Tvaṣṭā
  4. vṛtraḥVṛtrāsura
  5. yenaby which
  6. vipāṭitaḥwas killed
  7. anyeothers
  8. caalso
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 strongly do past achievements shape my confidence in the means I use?

Practice

Reflect briefly on one ability you trust, remembering that its past results do not explain every new situation.

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 todayRemembering Victories Over Powerful OpponentsThis 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 8.11.35? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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