Shloka 38
Deva–Asura Battle after the Nectar; Bali’s Illusions and Hari’s Intervention
तेषां पदाघातरथाङ्गचूर्णिता- दायोधनादुल्बण उत्थितस्तदा । रेणुर्दिश: खं द्युमणिं च छादयन् न्यवर्ततासृक् स्रुतिभि: परिप्लुतात् ॥ ३८ ॥
teṣāṁ padāghāta-rathāṅga-cūrṇitād āyodhanād ulbaṇa utthitas tadā reṇur diśaḥ khaṁ dyumaṇiṁ ca chādayan nyavartatāsṛk-srutibhiḥ pariplutāt
Because of the impact on the ground of the legs of the demons and demigods and the wheels of the chariots, particles of dust flew violently into the sky and made a dust cloud that covered all directions of outer space, as far as the sun. But when the particles of dust were followed by drops of blood being sprinkled all over space, the dust cloud could no longer float in the sky.
The cloud of dust covered the entire horizon, but when drops of blood sprayed up as far as the sun, the dust cloud could no longer float in the sky. A point to be observed here is that although the blood is stated to have reached the sun, it is not said to have reached the moon. Apparently, therefore, as stated elsewhere in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the sun, not the moon, is the planet nearest the earth. We have already discussed this point in many places. The sun is first, then the moon, then Mars, Jupiter and so on. The sun is supposed to be 93,000,000 miles above the surface of the earth, and from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we understand that the moon is 1,600,000 miles above the sun. Therefore the distance between the earth and the moon would be about 95,000,000 miles. So if a space capsule were traveling at the speed of 18,000 miles per hour, how could it reach the moon in four days? At that speed, going to the moon would take at least seven months. That a space capsule on a moon excursion has reached the moon in four days is therefore impossible.
FAQs
This verse depicts the battle as so violent that the ground is pulverized by feet and chariot wheels, raising a dreadful dust cloud that darkens the sky and is soaked with blood.
He is narrating the Deva-Asura conflict to convey the scale of the cosmic struggle and to set the scene for how the Lord’s arrangement ultimately protects dharma amid overwhelming turmoil.
Worldly conflict can become blinding and consuming; the Bhagavatam’s lesson is to seek clarity by anchoring oneself in dharma and devotion rather than being swept away by the “dust” of agitation.