Shloka 5
Pradyumna’s Abduction, Mahā-māyā, and the Slaying of Śambara
तं शम्बराय कैवर्ता उपाजह्रुरुपायनम् । सूदा महानसं नीत्वावद्यन् सुधितिनाद्भुतम् ॥ ५ ॥
taṁ śambarāya kaivartā upājahrur upāyanam sūdā mahānasaṁ nītvā- vadyan sudhitinādbhutam
The fishermen presented that wondrous fish as an offering to Śambara. He had his cooks take it into the kitchen, where they began to cut it open with a butcher’s knife.
FAQs
In 10.55.5, Śukadeva describes how fishermen delivered the child to Śambara, who had him taken to the kitchen where the cooks cruelly dismembered him—showing the extreme hostility of asuras toward the Lord’s associates.
The fishermen, not knowing the child’s divine identity, treated him as a valuable find and offered him to King Śambara as tribute, setting the stage for Śambara’s violent attempt to eliminate him.
Even when circumstances appear brutally adverse, the Bhagavatam’s narrative emphasizes that divine providence can overturn danger—encouraging steadiness, faith, and perseverance rather than despair.