SB 10.50.28 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

सञ्छिद्यमानद्विपदेभवाजिना- मङ्गप्रसूता: शतशोऽसृगापगा: । भुजाहय: पूरुषशीर्षकच्छपा हतद्विपद्वीपहयग्रहाकुला: ॥ २५ ॥ करोरुमीना नरकेशशैवला धनुस्तरङ्गायुधगुल्मसङ्कुला: । अच्छूरिकावर्तभयानका महा- मणिप्रवेकाभरणाश्मशर्करा: ॥ २६ ॥ प्रवर्तिता भीरुभयावहा मृधे मनस्विनां हर्षकरी: परस्परम् । विनिघ्नतारीन् मुषलेन दुर्मदान् सङ्कर्षणेनापरिमेयतेजसा ॥ २७ ॥ बलं तदङ्गार्णवदुर्गभैरवं दुरन्तपारं मगधेन्द्रपालितम् । क्षयं प्रणीतं वसुदेवपुत्रयो- र्विक्रीडितं तज्जगदीशयो: परम् ॥ २८ ॥

Verse text

saṣchidyamāna-dvipadebha-vājinām aṅga-prasūtāḥ śataśo ’sṛg-āpagāḥ bhujāhayaḥ pūruṣa-śīrṣa-kacchapā hata-dvipa-dvīpa-haya grahākulāḥ karoru-mīnā nara-keśa-śaivalā dhanus-taraṅgāyudha-gulma-saṅkulāḥ acchūrikāvarta-bhayānakā mahā- maṇi-pravekābharaṇāśma-śarkarāḥ pravartitā bhīru-bhayāvahā mṛdhe manasvināṁ harṣa-karīḥ parasparam vinighnatārīn muṣalena durmadān saṅkarṣaṇenāparīmeya-tejasā balaṁ tad aṅgārṇava-durga-bhairavaṁ duranta-pāraṁ magadhendra-pālitam kṣayaṁ praṇītaṁ vasudeva-putrayor vikrīḍitaṁ taj jagad-īśayoḥ param

Synonyms

saṣchidyamāna — being cut to pieces ; dvi — pada — of the two-legged (humans) ; ibha — elephants ; vājinām — and horses ; aṅga — from the limbs ; prasūtāḥ — flowing ; śataśaḥ — by the hundreds ; asṛk — of blood ; āpa — gaḥ — rivers ; bhuja — arms ; ahayaḥ — as the snakes ; pūruṣa — of men ; śīrṣa — heads ; kacchapāḥ — as the turtles ; hata — dead ; dvipa — with elephants ; dvīpa — as islands ; haya — and with horses ; graha — as crocodiles ; ākulāḥ — filled ; kara — hands ; ūru — and thighs ; mīnaḥ — as the fish ; nara — human ; keśa — hair ; śaivalāḥ — as the aquatic weeds ; dhanuḥ — with bows ; taraṅga — as the waves ; āyudha — and with weapons ; gulma — as the clumps of bushes ; saṅkulāḥ — crowded ; acchūrikā — chariot wheels ; āvarta — as the whirlpools ; bhayānakāḥ — fearful ; mahā — maṇi — precious gems ; praveka — excellent ; ābharaṇa — and ornaments ; aśma — as the stones ; śarkarāḥ — and gravel ; pravartitāḥ — issuing forth ; bhīru — for the timid ; bhaya — āvahāḥ — terrifying ; mṛdhe — on the battlefield ; manasvinām — for the intelligent ; harṣa — karīḥ — inspiring joy ; parasparam — from one to another ; vinighnatā — who was striking down ; arīn — His enemies ; muṣalena — with His plow weapon ; durmadān — who were furious ; saṅkarṣaṇena — by Lord Balarāma ; aparimeya — immeasurable ; tejasā — whose potency ; balam — military force ; tat — that ; aṅga — my dear (King Parīkṣit) ; arṇava — like the ocean ; durga — unfathomable ; bhairavam — and frightening ; duranta — impossible to cross over ; pāram — whose limit ; magadha — indra — by the King of Magadha, Jarāsandha ; pālitam — overseen ; kṣayam — to destruction ; praṇītam — led ; vasudeva — putrayoḥ — for the sons of Vasudeva ; vikrīḍitam — play ; tat — that ; jagat — of the universe ; īśayoḥ — for the Lords ; param — at most .

Translation

On the battlefield, hundreds of rivers of blood flowed from the limbs of the humans, elephants and horses who had been cut to pieces. In these rivers arms resembled snakes; human heads, turtles; dead elephants, islands; and dead horses, crocodiles. Hands and thighs appeared like fish, human hair like waterweeds, bows like waves, and various weapons like clumps of bushes. The rivers of blood teemed with all of these.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

On the battlefield, hundreds of rivers of blood flowed from the limbs of the humans, elephants and horses who had been cut to pieces. In these rivers arms resembled snakes; human heads, turtles; dead elephants, islands; and dead horses, crocodiles. Hands and thighs appeared like fish, human hair like waterweeds, bows like waves, and various weapons like clumps of bushes. The rivers of blood teemed with all of these. Chariot wheels looked like terrifying whirlpools, and precious gems and ornaments resembled stones and gravel in the rushing red rivers, which aroused fear in the timid, joy in the wise. With the blows of His plow weapon the immeasurably powerful Lord Balarāma destroyed Magadhendra's military force. And though this force was as unfathomable and fearsome as an impassable ocean, for the two sons of Vasudeva, the Lords of the universe, the battle was hardly more than play. KB 10.50.25-28 In this way, many thousands of elephants, horses and men were killed, and their blood flowed just like the waves of a river. In that river, the severed arms of men appeared like snakes and their heads like tortoises. The dead bodies of the elephants appeared like small islands, and the dead horses appeared like sharks. By the arrangement of the supreme will, there was a great river of blood filled with paraphernalia. The hands and legs of the infantry soldiers floated just like different kinds of fish, the hair of the soldiers floated like seaweed and moss, and the floating bows of the soldiers resembled waves of the river. And all the jewelry from the bodies of the soldiers and commanders seemed like many pebbles flowing down the river of blood. Lord Balarāma, who is also known as Saṅkarṣaṇa, began to fight with His club in such a heroic way that the river of blood created by Kṛṣṇa overflooded. Cowards became very much afraid upon seeing the ghastly and horrible scene, and heroes began to talk delightedly among themselves about the heroism of the two brothers. Although Jarāsandha was equipped with a vast ocean of military strength, the fighting of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma converted the whole situation into a ghastly scene far beyond ordinary fighting. Persons of ordinary merit cannot estimate how it could be possible, but when such activities are accepted as pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, under whose will everything is possible, then this can be understood.

Purport

Chariot wheels looked like terrifying whirlpools, and precious gems and ornaments resembled stones and gravel in the rushing red rivers, which aroused fear in the timid, joy in the wise. With the blows of His plow weapon the immeasurably powerful Lord Balarāma destroyed Magadhendra’s military force. And though this force was as unfathomable and fearsome as an impassable ocean, for the two sons of Vasudeva, the Lords of the universe, the battle was hardly more than play.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Rivers of blood flowed from the limbs of men, elephants, and horses severed by Krsna and Balarama (paraspram). The metaphor of the river is described. In that river the arms were snakes, the dead elephants were islands or high areas, the horses were crocodiles. The quivering crocodiles filled up the river. The rivers were dangerous with whirlpools of shields or wheels of chariots (acchurika). The big jewels and fine ornaments were the stones and gravel in the rivers. These rivers gave joy to the courageous (manasvina). Oh king (anga), the army of Jarasandha was hard to cross and dangerous like the ocean, with no opposite shore (durantaparam), with unlimited depth. It was too deep and too expansive to cross. In spite of all of this however, for Krsna and Balarama crossing this ocean was just play, and not a great effort at all.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Chariot wheels looked like terrifying whirlpools, and precious gems and ornaments resembled stones and gravel in the rushing red rivers, which aroused fear in the timid and joy in the warrior. With the blows of his plow weapon, the immeasurably powerful Balarāma destroyed Magadhendra’s military force. And though this force was as unfathomable and fearsome as an impassable ocean, for the two sons of Vasudeva, the Lords of the universe, the battle was supreme play. The weapons were like clumps of bushes (gulma). Acchūrikā is a Vedic word for “wheel.” It is used in SB 5.3.3 (acchūri). This scene created joy for those who had a warrior’s nature. Killing and being killed gives the warrior joy. The Lord produced (pravartitāḥ) this bliss of killing and being killed. Or the rivers of blood joined together into a large river. The purpose was to take away the enthusiasm of Jarāsandha. But to suggest that the Lord produced pleasure in dying and being killed would not be appropriate since the Lord and his army was not harmed at all according to verse 35. Thus the second meaning of pravartitāḥ is better. Durmadān means proud because of fighting directly with the Lord or greatly intoxicated with their own strength. Balarāma had unlimited prowess (tejasā). This was special play (vi—krīḍitam) for Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma since they were endowed with inexhaustible powers though they were the sons of Vasudeva in pastimes. The play was their highest interest (param). Relieving the burden of the earth was an accompanying result.