FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.8.11

स्वशरीराग्निना तावन्महेन्द्रहृतचेतस: । महद्‌व्य‌तिक्रमहता भस्मसादभवन् क्षणात् ॥ ११ ॥
sva-śarīrāgninā tāvan
[sva-shareeraagninaa taavan]
mahendra-hṛta-cetasaḥ
[mahendra-hrita-chetasah]
mahad-vyatikrama-hatā
[mahad-vyatikrama-hataa]
bhasmasād abhavan kṣaṇāt
[bhasmasaad abhavan kshanaat]
sva-śarīra-agninā — by the fire emanating from their own bodies tāvat — immediately mahendra — by the tricks of Indra, the King of heaven hṛta-cetasaḥ — their consciousness having been taken away mahat — a great personality vyatikrama-hatāḥ — defeated by the fault of insulting bhasmasāt — turned to ashes abhavan — became kṣaṇāt — immediately.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sva-śarīrāgninā tāvan
sva-śarīra-agninā
by the fire emanating from their own bodies
tāvat
immediately
mahendra-hṛta-cetasaḥ
mahendra
by the tricks of Indra, the King of heaven
hṛta-cetasaḥ
their consciousness having been taken away
mahad-vyatikrama-hatā
mahat
a great personality
vyatikrama-hatāḥ
defeated by the fault of insulting
bhasmasād abhavan kṣaṇāt
bhasmasāt
turned to ashes
abhavan
became
kṣaṇāt
immediately.
By the influence of Indra, the King of heaven, the sons of Sagara had lost their intelligence and disrespected a great personality. Consequently, fire emanated from their own bodies, and they were immediately burned to ashes.

The material body is a combination of earth, water, fire, air and ether. There is already fire within the body, and our practical experience is that the heat of this fire sometimes increases and sometimes decreases. The fire within the bodies of the sons of Sagara Mahārāja became so much hotter that all of them burned to ashes. The fire’s increased heat was due to their misbehavior toward a great personality. Such misbehavior is called mahad-vyatikrama. They were killed by the fire of their own bodies because of insulting a great personality.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The sons of Sagara, losing their intelligence because of Indra, disrespected a great person. Consequently, by fire emanating from their own bodies, they were immediately burned to ashes. The third material element fire increased in their bodies because of their offense and burned them. Because they thought that Kapila was Indra, they became bewildered.
Disrespect to a great personality literally combusts the offenders. Misbehavior toward saintly persons is not just bad manners — it ignites something destructive within us.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose holiness am I currently treating with casual disrespect?
  • What inner 'overheating' might be a signal that I have offended someone the Lord protects?
📝 My note

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