FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.36.26

आरभ्यतां धनुर्यागश्चतुर्दश्यां यथाविधि । विशसन्तु पशून्मेध्यान् भूतराजाय मीढुषे ॥ २६ ॥
ārabhyatāṁ dhanur-yāgaś
[aarabhyataam dhanur-yaagash]
caturdaśyāṁ yathā-vidhi
[chaturdashyaam yathaa-vidhi]
viśasantu paśūn medhyān
[vishasantu pashoon medhyaan]
bhūta-rājāya mīḍhuṣe
[bhoota-raajaaya meedhushe]
Word-for-word
ārabhyatām — should be commenced dhanuḥ - yāgaḥ — the bow sacrifice caturdaśyām — on the fourteenth day of the month yathā - vidhi — in accordance with Vedic injunctions viśasantu — offer in sacrifice paśūn — animals medhyān — which are fit to be offered bhūta - rājāya — to Lord Śiva, the lord of ghostly spirits mīḍhuṣe — the giver of benedictions .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ārabhyatāṁ dhanur-yāgaś
ārabhyatām
should be commenced
dhanuḥ - yāgaḥ
the bow sacrifice
caturdaśyāṁ yathā-vidhi
caturdaśyām
on the fourteenth day of the month
yathā - vidhi
in accordance with Vedic injunctions
viśasantu
offer in sacrifice
viśasantu paśūn medhyān
paśūn
animals
medhyān
which are fit to be offered
bhūta-rājāya mīḍhuṣe
bhūta - rājāya
to Lord Śiva, the lord of ghostly spirits
mīḍhuṣe
the giver of benedictions .
Important Words
  • dhanuḥ - yāgaḥ — the bow sacrifice
    Dhanus (bow) + yāga (sacrifice). A royal Śaiva rite involving the worship of a sacred bow. The huge bow at this sacrifice is the bow Kṛṣṇa will break with one foot in SB 10.42, signaling Mathurā's true ruler.
  • caturdaśyām — on the fourteenth lunar day
    Caturdaśī — the fourteenth tithi. The traditional day for Śaiva worship. Kaṁsa is fixing the date; the date itself becomes the trigger of the avatāra's Mathurā-entry.
  • bhūta - rājāya — to the Lord of beings (Śiva)
    Bhūta (beings, ghosts) + rāja (king). Lord Śiva. Kaṁsa worships Śiva for personal protection — Gauḍīyas note: worship of any deva turned away from Viṣṇu-bhakti collapses into self-interest.
  • paśūn — (sacrificial) animals
    Paśu — animal, also the unsurrendered jīva in tantric vocabulary. The ritual slaughter Kaṁsa orders is itself the marker of his demonic mode: yajña reduced to harm.
Commence the bow sacrifice on the Caturdaśī day in accordance with the relevant Vedic injunctions. In ritual slaughter offer the appropriate kinds of animals to the magnanimous Lord Śiva.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Commence the bow sacrifice on the Caturdaśī day in accordance with the relevant Vedic injunctions. In ritual slaughter offer the appropriate kinds of animals to the magnanimous Lord Śiva.
Commentary

For my prosperity, cut up some goats in order to please the lord of living entities.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

We should not only use material means. We should use supernatural means also to lure them. The two should be brought on the occasion of a spiritual festival, on the pretext of seeing wrestling matches. Śiva was the protector of Mathurā and the bow and very generous (mīḍhuṣe). Mīḍhuṣe means “unto Śiva who gives satisfaction by bestowing boons.” This is also a statement made out of fear.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

We should not only use material means. We should use supernatural means also to lure them. The two should be brought on the occasion of a spiritual festival, on the pretext of seeing a wrestling matches. Śiva was the protector of Mathurā and the bow and he was very generous (mīḍhuṣe). Mīḍhuṣe means “unto Śiva who gives satisfaction by bestowing boons.” This is also a statement made out of fear.

Related values & verses
Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Dana (Charity / Generosity)Prema (Divine Love)Svadhyaya (Self-study & Scripture Study)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)
Related verses
BG 3.9 BG 9.1 BG 4.8 BG 15.20 BG 15.7 BG 2.62 BG 3.11 BG 15.2 BG 12.3 BG 16.1 BG 3.19 BG 3.30 BG 7.1
Concepts
Jiva
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Kaṁsa orders a bow sacrifice on Caturdaśī, slaughtering animals to magnanimous Lord Śiva. Demonic religion uses sacred forms for selfish ends; rituals can be hijacked by ambition.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do you suspect a 'spiritual' activity in your life of serving ambition more than the Lord?
  • How can you tell the difference between a real sacrifice and a strategic one?
Analogy

The bow-sacrifice on the Caturdaśī, animals offered to Lord Śiva — Kaṁsa wraps his murder-plan in proper ritual etiquette, an asura's love for the form of yajña without its essence. The Bhāgavatam shows the trap: yajña without bhakti is just decorated cruelty.

Stories
Dakṣa's headless yajña

In SB 4.2–7 Dakṣa performed a magnificent Vedic sacrifice, perfectly correct in every external detail, yet refused to include Lord Śiva and Satī. The yajña was destroyed; Dakṣa lost his head and was restored only after surrendering to Śiva.

Kaṁsa now plans a śaiva-yāga to legitimate his killing of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. The pattern is the same — flawless ritual surface concealing offense against the Lord and His own. The Bhāgavatam knows this template by heart.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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