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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 9 · Liberation · 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 9 · Chapter 15: Paraśurāma, the Lord’s Warrior Incarnation

9.15.27 9.15.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.15.28

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.15.17-19inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

घोरमादाय परशुं सतूणं वर्म कार्मुकम् ।

अन्वधावत दुर्मर्षो मृगेन्द्र इव यूथपम् ॥ २८ ॥

ghoram ādāya paraśuṁ

satūṇaṁ varma kārmukam

anvadhāvata durmarṣo

mṛgendra iva yūthapam

Translation

Taking up his fierce chopper, his shield, his bow and a quiver of arrows, Lord Paraśurāma, exceedingly angry, chased Kārtavīryārjuna just as a lion chases an elephant.

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.

Lord Paraśurāma Pursues Kārtavīryārjuna

1
Lord Paraśurāma took up his fierce chopper, shield, bow and quiver of arrows.
2
Exceedingly angry, he chased Kārtavīryārjuna.
3
His pursuit is compared to a lion chasing an elephant. The image emphasizes the force of his approach.

How it feels

Longing and conflict → Detachment and justice. Dynastic episodes explore personal desire and force.

Chapters 13–17 of Canto 9: Nimi, Purūravā and Paraśurāma. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 15: Paraśurāma, the Lord’s Warrior Incarnation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When a king named Kārtavīryārjuna stole Jamadagni’s desire cow, Paraśurāma, who is ascertained by learned experts to be a saktyāveśa incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, killed Kārtavīryārjuna. Later, he annihilated the kṣatriya dynasty twenty-one times.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 9.15

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

ghoramextremely fierce
ādāyataking in hand
paraśuma chopper
sa-tūṇamalong with a quiver
varmaa shield
kārmukama bow
anvadhāvatafollowed
durmarṣaḥLord Paraśurāma, being exceedingly angry

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.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the lion-and-elephant comparison shape your understanding of Lord Paraśurāma’s pursuit?

Practice

Read the translation slowly, noting the weapons and the comparison used to describe the Lord.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLord Paraśurāma Pursues KārtavīryārjunaThis 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.

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