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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 21: Bali Mahārāja Arrested by the Lord

8.21.10 8.21.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.21.11

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.21.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अनेन याचमानेन शत्रुणा वटुरूपिणा ।

सर्वस्वं नो हृतं भर्तुर्न्यस्तदण्डस्य बर्हिषि ॥ ११ ॥

anena yācamānena

śatruṇā vaṭu-rūpiṇā

sarvasvaṁ no hṛtaṁ bhartur

nyasta-daṇḍasya barhiṣi

Translation

“Our lord, Bali Mahārāja, because of his position in performing the yajña, has given up the power to punish. Taking advantage of this, our eternal enemy, Viṣṇu, dressed in the form of a brahmacārī beggar, has taken away all his possessions.

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.

Hostility Shapes the Followers’ Complaint

1
The followers said Bali Mahārāja had given up the power to punish because he was performing the yajña.
2
They described Viṣṇu as a brahmacārī beggar who had taken all their master’s possessions.
3
Calling Viṣṇu their “eternal enemy,” they accused Him of taking advantage of Bali’s position. These words reveal the followers’ hostility toward the Lord.

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

Chapter 21: Bali Mahārāja Arrested by the Lord

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When Bali Mahārāja was deprived of all his possessions, the demons were very angry. Although Bali Mahārāja warned them not to do so, they took up weapons against Lord Viṣṇu.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 8.21