FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.44.1

श्रीशुक उवाच एवं चर्चितसङ्कल्पो भगवान् मधुसूदन: । आससादाथ चाणूरं मुष्टिकं रोहिणीसुत: ॥ १ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca
[shree-shuka uvaacha]
evaṁ carcita-saṅkalpo
[evam charchita-sankalpo]
bhagavān madhusūdanaḥ
[bhagavaan madhusoodanah]
āsasādātha caṇūraṁ
[aasasaadaatha chanooram]
muṣṭtikaṁ rohiṇī-sutaḥ
[mushttikam rohinee-sutah]
śrī - śukaḥ uvāca — Śukadeva Gosvāmī said evam — thus carcita — fixing saṅkalpaḥ — His determination bhagavān — the Supreme Lord madhusūdanaḥ — Kṛṣṇa āsasāda — confronted atha — then cāṇūram — Cāṇūra muṣṭikam — Muṣṭika rohiṇī - sutaḥ — the son of Rohiṇī, Lord Balarāma .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-śuka uvāca
śrī - śukaḥ uvāca
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
evaṁ carcita-saṅkalpo
evam
thus
carcita
fixing
saṅkalpaḥ
His determination
bhagavān madhusūdanaḥ
bhagavān
the Supreme Lord
madhusūdanaḥ
Kṛṣṇa
āsasādātha caṇūraṁ
āsasāda
confronted
atha
then
cāṇūram
Cāṇūra
muṣṭtikaṁ rohiṇī-sutaḥ
muṣṭikam
Muṣṭika
rohiṇī - sutaḥ
the son of Rohiṇī, Lord Balarāma .
  • carcita — fixed, settled, deliberated upon
    Past participle of √carc (to consider, repeat). His resolve is not a flash of temper at the insult; it is something already chewed over. Gauḍīyas read this as evidence that Kaṁsa's death is a līlā-saṅkalpa, not a reaction.
  • saṅkalpaḥ — determination, resolve
    From sam + √kḷp. The will of Bhagavān; the same word used for the cosmic resolve that begins creation. When Kṛṣṇa's saṅkalpa fixes on you — as devotee or as demon — the outcome is already past.
  • madhusūdanaḥ — slayer of the Madhu demon
    Compound: madhu (the demon) + sūdana (slayer). The name itself names His office in this scene — the One who removes demons. The poet picks the demon-slayer epithet just as He turns toward the wrestler.
  • rohiṇī - sutaḥ — the son of Rohiṇī (Balarāma)
    Compound: rohiṇī (His mother) + sutaḥ (son). Balarāma is named through His mother — the Gauḍīya pattern of identifying the Lord's expansions through their relational anchor, never as free-floating powers.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus addressed, Lord Kṛṣṇa made up His mind to accept the challenge. He paired off with Cāṇūra, and Lord Balarāma with Muṣṭika.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus addressed, Lord Kṛṣṇa made up His mind to accept the challenge. He paired off with Cāṇūra, and Lord Balarāma with Muṣṭika.
Commentary

The forty fourth chapter describes the killing of the wrestlers and Kamsa, consolation of the wives of Kamsa, and Krsna and Balarama meeting their mother and father. Thinking (carcita) with determination "I will kill Canura" he approached him.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Though Kṛṣṇa was endowed with unlimited power as Bhagavān, and thus could kill the wrestlers merely by his will, he confronted Cāṇūra in order to have some fun at wrestling. Though he could kill him immediately, he did so after playing at wrestling for a long time, as in the killing of the Madhu demon. Lokavat tu līlā-kaivalyam: the Lord is absorbed in his pastimes, as in ordinary life. (Vedānta-sutra 2.1.33) After that, Balarāma approached Muṣṭika.

Related values
Dana (Charity / Generosity)Dhriti (Resilience / Steadfastness / Fortitude)Udyama (Industriousness / Effort)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Yajña (Sacrifice / Spirit of Offering)
Related verses
Concepts
Jiva
Kṛṣṇa accepts the challenge and pairs off with Cāṇūra, Balarāma with Muṣṭika. The Lord doesn't refuse the unfair match; sometimes accepting absurd terms is the right move when one knows the outcome.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do you refuse unfair contests when accepting them with Kṛṣṇa-confidence could be the answer?
  • What 'pairing off' has been waiting for your decisive yes?

Kṛṣṇa walking into the arena toward Cāṇūra is the Lord stepping unhurried into a fixed appointment — like a king who has already drawn the map of a war and now simply arrives at the day. The saṅkalpa is older than the wrestler; the meeting only makes visible what was already settled.

📝 My note

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