SB 10.25.2 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

गणं सांवर्तकं नाम मेघानां चान्तकारीणाम् इन्द्र: प्रचोदयत् क्रुद्धो वाक्यं चाहेशमान्युत ॥ २ ॥

Verse text

gaṇaṁ sāṁvartakaṁ nāma meghānāṁ cānta-kārīṇām indraḥ pracodayat kruddho vākyaṁ cāheśa-māny uta

Synonyms

gaṇam — the group ; sāṁvartakam nāma — named Sāṁvartaka ; meghānām — of clouds ; ca — and ; anta — kāriṇām — who effect the end of the universe ; indraḥ — Indra ; pracodayat — sent forth ; kruddhaḥ — angry ; vākyam — words ; ca — and ; āha — spoke ; īśa — mānī — falsely thinking himself the supreme controller ; uta — indeed .

Translation

Angry Indra sent forth the clouds of universal destruction, known as Sāṁvartaka. Imagining himself the supreme controller, he spoke as follows.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Angry Indra sent forth the clouds of universal destruction, known as Sāṁvartaka. Imagining himself the supreme controller, he spoke as follows. KB 10.25.2 As the director of different kinds of clouds, Indra called for the Sāṁvartaka. This cloud is invited when there is a need to devastate the whole cosmic manifestation. The Sāṁvartaka was ordered by Indra to go over Vṛndāvana and inundate the whole area with an extensive flood. Demonically, Indra thought himself to be the all-powerful supreme personality. When demons become very powerful, they defy the supreme controller, the Personality of Godhead. Indra, though not a demon, was puffed up by his material position, and he wanted to challenge the supreme controller. He thought himself, at least for the time being, as powerful as Kṛṣṇa.

Purport

The word īśa-mānī here is very significant. Indra arrogantly considered himself to be the Lord, and thus he exhibited the typical attitude of a conditioned soul. Many thinkers in the twentieth century have noted the exaggerated sense of individual prestige characteristic of our culture; indeed, writers have even coined the phrase “the me generation.” Everyone in this world is more or less guilty of the syndrome called īśa-māna, or proudly considering oneself the Lord.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

This verse describes Indra’s anger. Samvartaka refers to those clouds used at the time of final devastation. Ca indicates that the seven winds of destruction such as avaha nd pravaha were also sent by him. Indra was proud, thinking himself the controller (isamani).

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

The clouds were used especially for destruction of the universe and were thus called sāṁvartakam (destructive of the universe). The word ca means eva (just for this). Or, the word ca indicates other clouds like āvaha and pravaha clouds as well. He sent the clouds (pra-- codayat) while instilling them with enthusiasm for destruction because of his pride. The word uta means “indeed” indicating his despicable conduct, unbecoming for the leader of the devatās.