Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.36.7
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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manda
—
O fool, dull one
Manda — slow, dull, low. Kṛṣṇa rarely uses harsh vocatives, but to demons He does — the Bhāgavatam preserves a register specifically for ātatāyīs (aggressors), distinct from His sweetness to friends.
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asattama
—
O most wicked one
Superlative of asat (untrue, unreal, evil). For Gauḍīyas asat carries metaphysical weight too: that which has no real being. The demon is named for the ontological poverty of his stance against Bhagavān.
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śāstari
—
when I, the chastiser, am present
Śāstā — the disciplinarian, ruler, instructor. Kṛṣṇa names His role explicitly: the avatāra-purpose of paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (Gītā 4.8) is operating right now in Vraja.
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durātmanām
—
of the evil-minded
Dus (bad) + ātman (self) — those whose very self-direction is wrong. The Bhāgavatam uses this for those whose hostility is settled, not accidental.
"What do you gain by frightening the cows?" Addressing the demon as "most sinful one (asattama), Krsna suggests that no sin would be incurred by killing the bull, though normally cows and bulls should not be killed.
Kṛṣṇa’s words to the demon are described. Another version has sapālaiḥ (along with the cowherds). This indicates that the cows are the main entities that should not be frightened since they have less intelligence and strength than their protectors, the cowherds. You are a fool (manda), since you are frightening animals! There will be no result from frightening these animals and their protectors. “Why do you say this?” I am the punisher of evil persons like you. Another version has bala-darpahāhām: I am the destroyer of strength and fear in persons having wicked acts (duṣṭānām) and wicked minds (durātmanām). When I kill you, everyone will be without fear. You are this type of person (tad-vidhānām), to be punished. Even one who imitates the behavior of the wicked should be punished. “But I have the form of a bull. How can I be punished?” You are worst (asattama)! You are not a bull but actually a demon in disguise.
- Where do you handle your own corrupt patterns with too much politeness?
- What might it sound like to address a destructive habit with Kṛṣṇa's directness?
A teacher walks into a classroom where a bully has been frightening younger children and says simply, 'I am here.' The bully's chest-puffing collapses the moment the room's actual authority speaks. Kṛṣṇa's words to Ariṣṭa have that quality of effortless asymmetry.
My note
Source: vedabase.io