FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.37.4

तद् वञ्चयित्वा तमधोक्षजो रुषा प्रगृह्य दोर्भ्यां परिविध्य पादयो: । सावज्ञमुत्सृज्य धनु:शतान्तरे यथोरगं तार्क्ष्यसुतो व्यवस्थित: ॥ ४ ॥
tad vañcayitvā tam adhokṣajo ruṣā
[tad vanchayitvaa tam adhokshajo rushaa]
pragṛhya dorbhyāṁ parividhya pādayoḥ
[pragrihya dorbhyaam parividhya paadayoh]
sāvajñam utsṛjya dhanuḥ-śatāntare
[saavajnam utsrijya dhanuh-shataantare]
yathoragaṁ tārkṣya-suto vyavasthitaḥ
[yathoragam taarkshya-suto vyavasthitah]
tat — that vañcayitvā — avoiding tam — him adhokṣajaḥ — the transcendental Lord ruṣā — angrily pragṛhya — seizing dorbhyām — with His arms parividhya — whirling around pādayoḥ — by the legs sa - avajñam — contemptuously utsṛjya — discarding dhanuḥ — of bow-lengths śata — one hundred antare — to the distance yathā — as uragam — a snake tārkṣya — of Kardama Muni sutaḥ — the son (Garuḍa) vyavasthitaḥ — standing .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tad vañcayitvā tam adhokṣajo ruṣā
tat
that
vañcayitvā
avoiding
tam
him
adhokṣajaḥ
the transcendental Lord
ruṣā
angrily
pragṛhya dorbhyāṁ parividhya pādayoḥ
pragṛhya
seizing
dorbhyām
with His arms
parividhya
whirling around
pādayoḥ
by the legs
sāvajñam utsṛjya dhanuḥ-śatāntare
sa - avajñam
contemptuously
utsṛjya
discarding
dhanuḥ
of bow-lengths
śata
one hundred
antare
to the distance
yathoragaṁ tārkṣya-suto vyavasthitaḥ
yathā
as
uragam
a snake
tārkṣya
of Kardama Muni
sutaḥ
the son (Garuḍa)
vyavasthitaḥ
standing .
  • adhokṣajaḥ — the transcendental Lord, beyond sense-perception
    Adhaḥ-kṣaja — He whom the senses cannot reach. Used here precisely when Kṛṣṇa is most visibly using His arms — Śuka's reminder that even when the Lord acts physically, the actor remains beyond what the senses can grasp.
  • sa-avajñam — contemptuously, with disdain
    Sa (with) + avajñā (contempt). Kṛṣṇa fights without effort and without respect for the enemy — Gauḍīyas read this as the asura-saṁhāra mood: the Lord owes the demon no ceremony.
  • tārkṣya-sutaḥ — the son of Tārkṣya, i.e. Garuḍa
    Garuḍa is named only by patronymic — the simile gains weight from lineage. The Lord's hand moves like His own carrier's beak.
  • vyavasthitaḥ — standing, firmly situated
    After flinging Keśī a hundred bow-lengths, Kṛṣṇa simply stands. The participle conveys svastha-bhāva — self-poised, unmoved. The asura travels; the Lord stays.
But the transcendental Lord dodged Keśī’s blow and then with His arms angrily seized the demon by the legs, whirled him around in the air and contemptuously threw him the distance of one hundred bow-lengths, just as Garuḍa might throw a snake. Lord Kṛṣṇa then stood there.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
But the transcendental Lord dodged Keśī's blow and then with His arms angrily seized the demon by the legs, whirled him around in the air and contemptuously threw him the distance of one hundred bow-lengths, just as Garuḍa might throw a snake. Lord Kṛṣṇa then stood there.
Commentary

When Kesi kicked him, Krsna grabbed his extended legs with his hands, twirled him around, and threw him far off. Krsna remained in the same place.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Kṛṣṇa avoided his blow (tat). Since he is beyond the knowledge of the senses (adhokṣajaḥ), how could Keśī strike him with his hooves? How foolish he was! Having avoided the blow, angry because the demon had spread fear in Vraja, Kṛṣṇa grabbed the demon’s legs. Or, in a playful manner (aruṣā) he grabbed the demon’s legs and then threw him at a great distance. Keśī fainted.

Related values
Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Shraddha (Faith / Reverence)Hrih (Modesty / Sense of Shame)Tejas (Inner Radiance / Vigour)
Related verses
Concepts
Jiva
Kṛṣṇa dodges, seizes Keśī by the legs, whirls him in the air, and throws him a hundred bow-lengths like Garuḍa throwing a snake. The Lord handles powerful attackers as casually as a bird tosses prey.
Reflection Questions
  • What would change if you trusted Kṛṣṇa's handling of your enemies to be casual rather than strained?
  • Where are you exaggerating a problem that the Lord could whirl away in a moment?

Kṛṣṇa grabs the horse by the legs, whirls him in the air like a sling, and tosses him a hundred bow-lengths — the way Garuḍa flicks a snake aside before resuming flight. The Lord's contempt is not anger; it is the absence of need to take the enemy seriously.

Garuḍa and the snakes

Garuḍa, son of Kardama-lineage Tārkṣya, is Viṣṇu's eternal carrier and the natural predator of serpents. The comparison here is not casual — Kaliya was crushed under Kṛṣṇa's feet (SB 10.16), and now Keśī is flung aside as if by Garuḍa Himself.

Gauḍīyas note that Kṛṣṇa borrows His own carrier's gesture: the Lord and His vehicle share the same disdain for venom.

📝 My note

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