—json {

  "name":"SB 8.11.12",
  "h1":"SB 8.11.12",
  "label":"Text 12",
  "title":"Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 8.11.12",
  "description":"When Indra, the defeater of enemies, released his infallible thunderbolt scepter at Bali Mahārāja with a desire to kill him, Bali Mahārāja indeed fell to the ground with his airplane, like a mountain with its wings cut off."

} —

SB 8.11.12

Text

prāharat kuliśaṁ tasmā
amoghaṁ para-mardanaḥ
sayāno nyapatad bhūmau
chinna-pakṣa ivācalaḥ

Synonyms

prāharat—inflicted; kuliśam—thunderbolt scepter; tasmai—unto him (Bali Mahārāja); amogham—infallible; para-mardanaḥ—Indra, who is expert in defeating the enemy; sa-yānaḥ—with his airplane; nyapatat—fell down; bhūmau—on the ground; chinna-pakṣaḥ—whose wings have been taken away; iva—like; acalaḥ—a mountain.

Translation

When Indra, the defeater of enemies, released his infallible thunderbolt scepter at Bali Mahārāja with a desire to kill him, Bali Mahārāja indeed fell to the ground with his airplane, like a mountain with its wings cut off.

Purport

In many descriptions in Vedic literature it is found that mountains also fly in the sky with wings. When such mountains are dead, they fall to the ground, where they stay as very large dead bodies.