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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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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.19.6

Who is speaking and story frame

यं विनिर्जित्य कृच्छ्रेण विष्णु: क्ष्मोद्धार आगतम् ।

आत्मानं जयिनं मेने तद्वीर्यं भूर्यनुस्मरन् ॥ ६ ॥

yaṁ vinirjitya kṛcchreṇa

viṣṇuḥ kṣmoddhāra āgatam

ātmānaṁ jayinaṁ mene

tad-vīryaṁ bhūry anusmaran

Translation

When delivering the earth from the Garbhodaka Sea, Lord Viṣṇu, in His incarnation as a boar, killed Hiraṇyākṣa, who had appeared before Him. The fight was severe, and the Lord killed Hiraṇyākṣa with great difficulty. Later, as the Lord thought about the uncommon prowess of Hiraṇyākṣa, He felt Himself victorious indeed.

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.

Lord Viṣṇu’s Victory in a Severe Fight

  1. 1

    Lord Viṣṇu, in His incarnation as a boar, was delivering the earth from the Garbhodaka Sea.

  2. 2

    Hiraṇyākṣa appeared before Him, and a severe fight took place. The translation describes the Lord killing him with great difficulty.

  3. 3

    Later, the Lord remembered Hiraṇyākṣa’s uncommon prowess and felt Himself victorious indeed.

How it feels

Public loss and humiliation → Total surrender. An apparent external defeat conceals a devotional triumph.

Chapters 19–23 of Canto 8: Vāmana tests Bali; Bali offers everything. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 19: Lord Vāmanadeva Begs Charity from Bali Mahārāja

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When Bali Mahārāja, thinking Vāmanadeva to be the son of a brāhmaṇa, told Him to ask for anything He liked, Lord Vāmanadeva praised Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa for their heroic activities, and after thus praising the family in which Bali Mahārāja had been born, He begged the King for three paces of land.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.19
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yamwhom
  2. vinirjityaafter conquering
  3. kṛcchreṇawith great difficulty
  4. viṣṇuḥLord Viṣṇu in His incarnation as a boar
  5. kṣmā-uddhāreat the time when the earth was delivered
  6. āgatamappeared before Him
  7. ātmānampersonally, Himself
  8. jayinamvictorious
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 description of Hiraṇyākṣa’s prowess emphasize the Lord’s victory?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute remembering Lord Viṣṇu delivering the earth.

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.

Live this todayLord Viṣṇu’s Victory in a Severe FightThis 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 8.19.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.