SB 10.11.51 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

तमापतन्तं स निगृह्य तुण्डयो- र्दोर्भ्यां बकं कंससखं सतां पति: । पश्यत्सु बालेषु ददार लीलया मुदावहो वीरणवद् दिवौकसाम् ॥ ५१ ॥

Verse text

tam āpatantaṁ sa nigṛhya tuṇḍayor dorbhyāṁ bakaṁ kaṁsa-sakhaṁ satāṁ patiḥ paśyatsu bāleṣu dadāra līlayā mudāvaho vīraṇavad divaukasām

Synonyms

tam — unto Bakāsura ; āpatantam — again endeavoring to attack Him ; saḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa ; nigṛhya — capturing ; tuṇḍayoḥ — by the beak ; dorbhyām — with His arms ; bakam — Bakāsura ; kaṁsa — sakham — who was the friend and associate of Kaṁsa ; satām patiḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa, the master of the Vaiṣṇavas ; paśyatsu — while observing ; bāleṣu — all the cowherd boys ; dadāra — bifurcated ; līlayā — very easily ; mudā — āvahaḥ — this action was very much pleasing ; vīraṇa — vat — like the grass called vīraṇa (as it is bifurcated) ; divaukasām — to all the denizens of heaven .

Translation

When Kṛṣṇa, the leader of the Vaiṣṇavas, saw that the demon Bakāsura, the friend of Kaṁsa, was endeavoring to attack Him, with His arms He captured the demon by the two halves of the beak, and in the presence of all the cowherd boys Kṛṣṇa very easily bifurcated him, as a child splits a blade of vīraṇa grass. By thus killing the demon, Kṛṣṇa very much pleased the denizens of heaven.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

When Kṛṣṇa, the leader of the Vaiṣṇavas, saw that the demon Bakāsura, the friend of Kaṁsa, was endeavoring to attack Him, with His arms He captured the demon by the two halves of the beak, and in the presence of all the cowherd boys Kṛṣṇa very easily bifurcated him, as a child splits a blade of vīraṇa grass. By thus killing the demon, Kṛṣṇa very much pleased the denizens of heaven. KB 10.11.51 Mother Yaśodā’s child, who is the reservoir of pleasure for the demigods and who is the maintainer of saintly persons, caught hold of the great gigantic heron by the two halves of his beak and, before His cowherd boyfriends, bifurcated his mouth, just as a child very easily splits a blade of grass.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Grasping firmly (nigrhya, nitaram completely grhya) his beak (tundayoh), he tore Bakasura apart, like a blade of virana grass, in front the eyes of the boys, giving the devatas great joy (mudavahah).

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Kṛṣṇa squeezed the demon, who was friend of Kaṁsa and thus most powerful and most wicked, in his grasp (nigṛyha). Since Kṛṣṇa was the goal of the devotees (satām gatiḥ), killing the demon was appropriate. Another version has satām patiḥ. Thus the goal of tearing the demon apart is explained since the Lord punishes demons and protects the devotees. The phrase “friend of Kaṁsa” also suggests that by bifurcating the demon, it was as if Kaṁsa was bifurcated. And because Kṛṣṇa was the shelter of the devotees (satām gatiḥ) he protected the life of Balarāma and others. Since Kṛṣṇa was the very life of the boys it should be understood that when he came out of Baka’s mouth, the boys all regained consciousness. Vīrāṇa is a type of grass. Kṛṣṇa split him like a blade of that grass. The conclusion is this. No one should think that Vatsāsura approached me, not knowing my powers, and being inattentive to my powers, was killed easily, without being able to do anything. In order to make everyone understand that even if the demon knows about me, and even if he is attentive, he cannot do anything even if he shows all his unlimited powers.” To give joy to his friends he then entered the demon’s mouth. By Baka’s death the devatās were benefited. They all became joyful. Baka’ṣ miserable end is also hinted by this.