Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 4
The Killing of Ariṣṭāsura and Kaṁsa’s Plot to Summon Kṛṣṇa
यस्य निर्ह्रादितेनाङ्ग निष्ठुरेण गवां नृणाम् । पतन्त्यकालतो गर्भा: स्रवन्ति स्म भयेन वै ॥ ३ ॥ निर्विशन्ति घना यस्य ककुद्यचलशङ्कया । तं तीक्ष्णशृङ्गमुद्वीक्ष्य गोप्यो गोपाश्च तत्रसु: ॥ ४ ॥
yasya nirhrāditenāṅga niṣṭhureṇa gavāṁ nṛṇām patanty akālato garbhāḥ sravanti sma bhayena vai
My dear King, clouds hovered about sharp-horned Ariṣṭāsura’s hump, mistaking it for a mountain, and when the cowherd men and ladies caught sight of the demon, they were struck with terror. Indeed, the strident reverberation of his roar so frightened the pregnant cows and women that they lost their fetuses in miscarriages.
The Vedic literature categorizes miscarriages as follows: Ā-caturthād bhavet srāvaḥ pātaḥ pañcama-ṣaṣṭhayoḥ/ ata ūrdhvaṁ prasūtiḥ syāt. “Up to the fourth month a premature delivery is called srāva, in the fifth and sixth months it is called pāta, and after this it is considered a birth ( prasūti ).”
FAQs
This verse describes the intense fear caused by Ariṣṭāsura’s harsh bellowing, setting the scene for Krishna’s protective intervention to restore safety in Vraja.
Śukadeva emphasizes the demon’s extreme cruelty and the terror he spread in Vṛndāvana, highlighting the urgency for Krishna to remove such a threat.
Fear can destabilize life and clarity; the Bhagavatam teaches taking shelter of Krishna—remembering His protection—when overwhelmed by threatening circumstances.