FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.14.38

यद्बाहुदण्डाभ्युदयानुजीविनो यदुप्रवीरा ह्यकुतोभया मुहु: । अधिक्रमन्त्यङ्‌घ्रिभिराहृतां बलात् सभां सुधर्मां सुरसत्तमोचिताम् ॥ ३८ ॥
yad bāhu-daṇḍābhyudayānujīvino
[yad baahu-dandaabhyudayaanujeevino]
yadu-pravīrā hy akutobhayā muhuḥ
[yadu-praveeraa hy akutobhayaa muhuh]
adhikramanty aṅghribhir āhṛtāṁ balāt
[adhikramanty anghribhir aahritaam balaat]
sabhāṁ sudharmāṁ sura-sattamocitām
[sabhaam sudharmaam sura-sattamochitaam]
yat — whose bāhu-daṇḍa — arms abhyudaya — influenced by anujīvinaḥ — always living yadu — the members of the Yadu dynasty pravīrāḥ — great heroes hi akutobhayāḥ — fearless in every respect muhuḥ — constantly adhikramanti — traversing aṅghribhiḥ — by foot āhṛtām — brought about balāt — by force sabhām — assembly house sudharmām — Sudharmā sura-sat-tama — the best among the demigods ucitām — deserving.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yad bāhu-daṇḍābhyudayānujīvino
yat
whose
bāhu-daṇḍa
arms
abhyudaya
influenced by
anujīvinaḥ
always living
yadu-pravīrā hy akutobhayā muhuḥ
yadu
the members of the Yadu dynasty
pravīrāḥ
great heroes
adhikramanty aṅghribhir āhṛtāṁ balāt
hi akutobhayāḥ
fearless in every respect
muhuḥ
constantly
adhikramanti
traversing
aṅghribhiḥ
by foot
āhṛtām
brought about
balāt
by force
sabhāṁ sudharmāṁ sura-sattamocitām
sabhām
assembly house
sudharmām
Sudharmā
sura-sat-tama
the best among the demigods
ucitām
deserving.
The great heroes of the Yadu dynasty, being protected by the arms of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, always remain fearless in every respect. And therefore their feet trample over the Sudharmā assembly house, which the best demigods deserved but which was taken away from them.

Those who are directly servitors of the Lord are protected by the Lord from all fearfulness, and they also enjoy the best of things, even if they are forcibly accumulated. The Lord is equal in behavior to all living beings, but He is partial to His pure devotees, being very affectionate toward them. The city of Dvārakā was flourishing, being enriched with the best of things in the material world. The state assembly house is constructed according to the dignity of the particular state. In the heavenly planets, the state assembly house called Sudharmā was deserving of the dignity of the best of the demigods. Such an assembly house is never meant for any state on the globe because the human being on the earth is unable to construct it, however far a particular state may be materially advanced. But during the time of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s presence on the earth, the members of the Yadu family forcibly brought the celestial assembly house to earth and placed it at Dvārakā. They were able to use such force because they were certain of the indulgence and protection of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. In other words, the Lord is provided with the best things in the universe by His pure devotees. Lord Kṛṣṇa was provided with all kinds of comforts and facilities available within the universe by the members of the Yadu dynasty, and in return such servitors of the Lord were protected and fearless.

A forgetful, conditioned soul is fearful. But a liberated soul is never fearful, just as a small child completely dependent on the mercy of his father is never fearful of anyone. Fearfulness is a sort of illusion for the living being when he is in slumber and forgetting his eternal relation with the Lord. Since the living being is never to die by his constitution, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.20) , then what is the cause of fearfulness? A person may be fearful of a tiger in a dream, but another man who is awake by his side sees no tiger there. The tiger is a myth for both of them, namely the person dreaming and the person awake, because actually there is no tiger; but the man forgetful of his awakened life is fearful, whereas the man who has not forgotten his position is not at all fearful. Thus the members of the Yadu dynasty were fully awake in their service to the Lord, and therefore there was no tiger for them to be afraid of at any time. Even if there were a real tiger, the Lord was there to protect them.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The fearless Yadu heroes, protected by the strength of his arms, constantly tread with their feet over the Sudharmā assembly hall which was taken by force even though the devatās deserved it.
Commentary

Bāhu-daṇḍābhyudayānujīvinaḥ means “they who subsist on the strength of his arms.”

Yadu heroes, protected by Kṛṣṇa's arms, remain fearless and trample the Sudharmā assembly house — meant for the best demigods. Devotional courage exceeds even celestial entitlement.
Reflection Questions
  • What 'celestial entitlement' do I defer to that devotion would dethrone?
  • Where could fearlessness sit in places I have considered above me?
📝 My note

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