SB 10.12.17 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.12.17

धराधरोष्ठो जलदोत्तरोष्ठो दर्याननान्तो गिरिश‍ृङ्गदंष्ट्र: । ध्वान्तान्तरास्यो वितताध्वजिह्व: परुषानिलश्वासदवेक्षणोष्ण: ॥ १७ ॥

dharādharoṣṭho jaladottaroṣṭho

[dharaadharoshtho jaladottaroshtho]

dary-ānanānto giri-śṛṅga-daṁṣṭraḥ

[dary-aananaanto giri-shringa-damshtrah]

dhvāntāntar-āsyo vitatādhva-jihvaḥ

[dhvaantaantar-aasyo vitataadhva-jihvah]

paruṣānila-śvāsa-davekṣaṇoṣṇaḥ

[parushaanila-shvaasa-davekshanoshnah]

Word-for-word

dharā — on the surface of the globe adhara - oṣṭhaḥ — whose lower lip jalada - uttara - oṣṭhaḥ — whose upper lip was touching the clouds darī - ānana - antaḥ — whose mouth was expanded very widely like a mountain cave giri - śṛṅga — like a mountain peak daṁṣṭraḥ — whose teeth dhvānta - antaḥ - āsyaḥ — within whose mouth the atmosphere was as dark as possible vitata - adhva - jihvaḥ — whose tongue was like a broad way paruṣa - anila - śvāsa — whose breath was like a warm wind dava - īkṣaṇa - uṣṇaḥ — and whose glance was like flames of fire .

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

dharādharoṣṭho jaladottaroṣṭho

dharā

on the surface of the globe

adhara - oṣṭhaḥ

whose lower lip

jalada - uttara - oṣṭhaḥ

whose upper lip was touching the clouds

dary-ānanānto giri-śṛṅga-daṁṣṭraḥ

darī - ānana - antaḥ

whose mouth was expanded very widely like a mountain cave

giri - śṛṅga

like a mountain peak

daṁṣṭraḥ

whose teeth

dhvāntāntar-āsyo vitatādhva-jihvaḥ

dhvānta - antaḥ - āsyaḥ

within whose mouth the atmosphere was as dark as possible

vitata - adhva - jihvaḥ

whose tongue was like a broad way

paruṣānila-śvāsa-davekṣaṇoṣṇaḥ

paruṣa - anila - śvāsa

whose breath was like a warm wind

dava - īkṣaṇa - uṣṇaḥ

and whose glance was like flames of fire .

Important Words

dharā-adhara-oṣṭhaḥ — lower lip on the earth
Compound: dharā (earth) + adhara (lower) + oṣṭha (lip). The demon's geometry literally spans the cosmography — earth to clouds. The whole verse is a deliberate cosmic anti-icon, contrasted later with Kṛṣṇa's universal form (chapter 14, when Brahmā sees Him as the source of all).
jalada-uttara-oṣṭhaḥ — upper lip touching the clouds
Compound: jalada (cloud) + uttara (upper) + oṣṭha (lip). Cloud-touching is normally a divine attribute (Viṣṇu's Trivikrama form). Aghāsura misappropriates the imagery — he is a fake virāṭ-rūpa.
dhvānta-antaḥ-āsyaḥ — the inside of his mouth was completely dark
Compound: dhvānta (darkness) + antaḥ (inside) + āsya (mouth). Inside the demon is tamas — the same tamas that demoniac nature lives in. Kṛṣṇa entering this darkness is the dīpa entering the well (Gauḍīyas: Bhagavān's presence cancels tamas instantly).
dava-īkṣaṇa-uṣṇaḥ — with eyes burning like a forest-fire
Compound: dava (forest fire) + īkṣaṇa (gaze) + uṣṇa (hot). The forest-fire image will return in chapter 19 when Kṛṣṇa actually swallows a literal dāvāgni. Foreshadowing: the demon's fire is theatrical, Kṛṣṇa's appetite for fire is real.

His lower lip rested on the surface of the earth, and his upper lip was touching the clouds in the sky. The borders of his mouth resembled the sides of a big cave in a mountain, and the middle of his mouth was as dark as possible. His tongue resembled a broad traffic-way, his breath was like a warm wind, and his eyes blazed like fire.

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

Commentary

His lower lip touched the earth and his upper lip reached the clouds. The front of the mouth was like two mountain caves. The interior of the mouth was dark, and the tongue was like a wide road. His breath was like burning fire and his gaze was like a forest fire.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

Instead of paruṣa sometimes parṣa is seen. He had hot nostrils breathing harsh wind and hot eyes blazing like fire. Or he was hot because of his harsh breath and fiery eyes.

Related values & verses

Related values

Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Tejas (Inner Radiance / Vigour)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)

Personal Guidance

Lower lip on earth, upper lip in clouds, eyes blazing — the demon is described in vivid detail. The Bhāgavatam does not soften how massive evil can look; honest naming is part of how devotees stay sober.

Reflection Questions

Am I willing to look squarely at the size of a temptation or addiction in my life, or do I keep glancing sideways?
What clear description would I give a sādhu of my biggest obstacle — without minimizing and without dramatizing?

Analogy

Picture a mouth so vast that the lower lip drags in the soil and the upper lip combs the clouds — eyes that burn like a forest fire, tongue stretched as a road. This is not just a big snake; it is the parody of a world. Aghāsura has tried to become a cosmos that swallows; in chapter 14 Kṛṣṇa will show Brahmā the real cosmos He contains.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io