Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.12.21
प्रतिस्पर्धेते सृक्कभ्यां सव्यासव्ये नगोदरे ।
तुङ्गशृङ्गालयोऽप्येतास्तद्दंष्ट्राभिश्च पश्यत ॥ २१ ॥
pratispardhete sṛkkabhyāṁ
[pratispardhete srikkabhyaam]
savyāsavye nagodare
[savyaasavye nagodare]
tuṅga-śṛṅgālayo ’py etās
[tunga-shringaalayo ’py etaas]
tad-daṁṣṭrābhiś ca paśyata
[tad-damshtraabhish cha pashyata]
Word-for-word
pratispardhete
—
just resembling
sṛkkabhyām
—
with the corners of the mouth
savya - asavye
—
left and right
naga - udare
—
caves of a mountain
tuṅga - śṛṅga - ālayaḥ
—
the high mountain peaks
api
—
although it is so
etāḥ tat - daṁṣṭrābhiḥ
—
they resemble the teeth of the animal
ca
—
and
paśyata
—
just see .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
pratispardhete sṛkkabhyāṁ
pratispardhete
just resembling
sṛkkabhyām
with the corners of the mouth
savyāsavye nagodare
savya - asavye
left and right
naga - udare
caves of a mountain
tuṅga-śṛṅgālayo ’py etās
tuṅga - śṛṅga - ālayaḥ
the high mountain peaks
tad-daṁṣṭrābhiś ca paśyata
api
although it is so
etāḥ tat - daṁṣṭrābhiḥ
they resemble the teeth of the animal
ca
and
paśyata
just see .
Important Words
-
naga-udare
—
in the belly of a mountain
Compound: naga (mountain) + udara (belly). The boys read the demon's body as cave-geography — mountain bellies, mountain peaks. The poet is laying down imagery that will be inverted in chapter 25 when Kṛṣṇa lifts an actual mountain.
-
tuṅga-śṛṅga-ālayaḥ
—
abode of high peaks
Compound: tuṅga (lofty) + śṛṅga (peak) + ālaya (abode). 'Dwelling-place of high peaks' for what are actually fangs. Gauḍīya āyurvedic note: daṁṣṭra (fang) carries venom — but here the boys see only architecture.
-
tat-daṁṣṭrābhiḥ
—
by his fangs
Compound: tat (its) + daṁṣṭra (fang). The same word used in BG 11.27 when Arjuna sees the warriors crushed in the Lord's terrifying universal form. Here the daṁṣṭras are the demon's — and they will be the ones that fail.
On the left and right, the two depressions resembling mountain caves are the corners of its mouth, and the high mountain peaks are its teeth.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
On the left and right, the two depressions resembling mountain caves are the corners of its mouth, and the high mountain peaks are its teeth.
Commentary
"Look here, these two caves (etah) appear to be like the front part of a mouth. And these mountains (pointing with his forefinger) (etah) appear like a serpent’s teeth."
Jīva Gosvāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Those groups of high mountain peaks which are right in front of us (etāḥ) compete with a snake’s teeth.
Related values & verses
Concepts
Jiva
Personal Guidance
Mountain caves, mountain peaks — every menacing feature is now named. To name danger accurately is itself an act of clarity that prepares the heart for Kṛṣṇa to act.
Reflection Questions
- What danger in my life have I refused to name, hoping silence would shrink it?
- Could I, this week, simply describe one threatening situation honestly to someone I trust?
Analogy
Picture children pointing at a row of stalactites: 'Look, peaks of a mountain!' — except the peaks are teeth and the cave is a throat. Their cheerfulness in catalog-mode is itself a protective force. In Vraja, observing the danger calmly turns out to be safer than fleeing it.
My note
Source: vedabase.io