SB 10.12.16 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

इति व्यवस्याजगरं बृहद् वपु: स योजनायाममहाद्रिपीवरम् । धृत्वाद्भ‍ुतं व्यात्तगुहाननं तदा पथि व्यशेत ग्रसनाशया खल: ॥ १६ ॥

Verse text

iti vyavasyājagaraṁ bṛhad vapuḥ sa yojanāyāma-mahādri-pīvaram dhṛtvādbhutaṁ vyātta-guhānanaṁ tadā pathi vyaśeta grasanāśayā khalaḥ

Synonyms

iti — in this way ; vyavasya — deciding ; ājagaram — python ; bṛhat vapuḥ — a very, very large body ; saḥ — Aghāsura ; yojana — āyāma — occupying eight miles of land ; mahā — adri — pīvaram — as thick as a great mountain ; dhṛtvā — assuming this form ; adbhutam — wonderful ; vyātta — spread ; guhā — ānanam — having a mouth resembling a big cave in a mountain ; tadā — at that time ; pathi — on the road ; vyaśeta — occupied ; grasana — āśayā — expecting to swallow all the cowherd boys ; khalaḥ — the most crooked .

Translation

After thus deciding, that crooked Aghāsura assumed the form of a huge python, as thick as a big mountain and as long as eight miles. Having assumed this wonderful python’s body, he spread his mouth like a big cave in the mountains and lay down on the road, expecting to swallow Kṛṣṇa and His associates the cowherd boys.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

After thus deciding, that crooked Aghāsura assumed the form of a huge python, as thick as a big mountain and as long as eight miles. Having assumed this wonderful python's body, he spread his mouth like a big cave in the mountains and lay down on the road, expecting to swallow Kṛṣṇa and His associates the cowherd boys. KB 10.12.16 Aghāsura, thus deciding to kill all the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, expanded himself by the yogic siddhi called mahimā. The demons are generally expert in achieving almost all kinds of mystic powers. In the yoga system, by the perfection called mahimā-siddhi, one can expand himself as he desires. The demon Aghāsura expanded himself up to eight miles and assumed the shape of a very fat serpent. Having attained this wonderful body, he stretched his mouth open just like a mountain cave. Desiring to swallow all the boys at once, including Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, he sat on the path.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Thinking in this way, Aghasura lay on the path in order to devour Krsna. He was a yojana in length (eight miles). He was as fat (pivaram) as a huge mountain (mahadri). His mouth spread open (vyattam) like a cave.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Resolving (vyavsya) thus, he spread himself out without moving since he was a cheating killer (khalaḥ), inclined to swallow little boys.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Resolving (vyavsya) thus, at that moment (tadā), he spread himself out without moving since he was a cheating killer (khalaḥ), who could easily swallow them all by tricky means. He would swallow them all at once since he was a python. Or he was cruel, with a proclivity for eating such boys.