SB 10.48.24 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.48.24

स त्वं प्रभोऽद्य वसुदेवगृहेऽवतीर्ण: स्वांशेन भारमपनेतुमिहासि भूमे: । अक्षौहिणीशतवधेन सुरेतरांश- राज्ञाममुष्य च कुलस्य यशो वितन्वन् ॥ २४ ॥

sa tvam prabho ’dya vasudeva-gṛhe ’vatīrṇaḥ

[sa tvam prabho ’dya vasudeva-grihe ’vateernah]

svāṁśena bhāram apanetum ihāsi bhūmeḥ

[svaamshena bhaaram apanetum ihaasi bhoomeh]

akṣauhiṇī-śata-vadhena suretarāṁśa-

[akshauhinee-shata-vadhena suretaraamsha-]

rājñām amuṣya ca kulasya yaśo vitanvan

[raajnaam amushya cha kulasya yasho vitanvan]

Word-for-word

saḥ — He tvam — You prabho — O master adya — now vasudeva - gṛhe — in the home of Vasudeva avatīrṇaḥ — have descended sva — with Your own aṁśena — direct expansion (Lord Balarāma) bharam — the burden apanetum — to remove iha — here asi — You are bhūmeḥ — of the earth akṣauhiṇī — of the armies śata — hundreds vadhena — by killing sura - itara — of the opponents of the demigods aṁśa — who are expansions rājñām — of the kings amuṣya — of this ca — and kulasya — dynasty (of the descendants of Yadu) yaśaḥ — the fame vitanvan — spreading .

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

sa tvam prabho ’dya vasudeva-gṛhe ’vatīrṇaḥ

saḥ

tvam

You

prabho

O master

svāṁśena bhāram apanetum ihāsi bhūmeḥ

akṣauhiṇī-śata-vadhena suretarāṁśa-

adya

now

rājñām amuṣya ca kulasya yaśo vitanvan

vasudeva - gṛhe

in the home of Vasudeva

avatīrṇaḥ

have descended

sva

with Your own

aṁśena

direct expansion (Lord Balarāma)

bharam

the burden

apanetum

to remove

iha

here

asi

You are

bhūmeḥ

of the earth

akṣauhiṇī

of the armies

śata

hundreds

vadhena

by killing

sura - itara

of the opponents of the demigods

aṁśa

who are expansions

rājñām

of the kings

amuṣya

of this

and

kulasya

dynasty (of the descendants of Yadu)

yaśaḥ

the fame

vitanvan

spreading .

Important Words

sva-aṁśena — with Your own direct expansion (Balarāma)
Compound: sva (own) + aṁśa (portion, expansion). Aṁśa is the technical word for Bhagavān's plenary expansion. Balarāma is svayaṁ-prakāśa, the first expansion of svayaṁ-bhagavān Kṛṣṇa. Gauḍīyas insist sva-aṁśa is non-different from the source while functionally distinct.
bharam apanetum — to remove the burden
Compound: bhara (load) + apanetum (infinitive of apa + √nī, to take away). Bhūmi-bhāra-haraṇa is the named purpose of the avatāra in Bhāgavatam doctrine — and Akrūra states it explicitly to its agent.
akṣauhiṇī-śata-vadhena — by killing hundreds of akṣauhiṇīs of armies
Compound: akṣauhiṇī (a vast army of 21,870 chariots, 21,870 elephants, 65,610 horses, 109,350 foot — Mahābhārata's measure) + śata (hundred) + vadha (killing). The scale is named precisely; this is not a small intervention.
yaśaḥ vitanvan — spreading (the dynasty's) fame
Phrase: yaśas (fame, renown) + vitanvan (present participle of vi + √tan, spreading out, extending). Kṛṣṇa's incarnation also has a sociological effect — His dynasty's name is broadcast across kalpas. The Yadu line is honored because He chose it.

You are that very same Supreme Person, my Lord, and You have now appeared in the home of Vasudeva with Your plenary portion. You have done this to relieve the earth’s burden by killing hundreds of armies led by kings who are expansions of the demigods’ enemies, and also to spread the fame of our dynasty.

Purport

The term suretarāṁśa-rājñām indicates that the demoniac kings slain by Kṛṣṇa were in fact expansions or incarnations of the enemies of the demigods. This fact is elaborately explained in the Mahābhārata, which reveals the specific identities of the demoniac kings.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

You are that very same Supreme Person, my Lord, and You have now appeared in the home of Vasudeva with Your plenary portion. You have done this to relieve the earth's burden by killing hundreds of armies led by kings who are expansions of the demigods' enemies, and also to spread the fame of our dynasty.

Commentary

"You have appeared along with your expansion Balarama (svamsena) in the house of Vasudeva, to relieve the burden of the earth by killing the hundreds of aksauhini of the impious kings."

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

After this introduction, Akrūra returns to the present situation as mentioned in verse 17. Being of such greatness, again and again you appear in this world to establish the proper path. O Lord full of all powers (prabho)! You appeared in the house of the best Yadu, Vasudeva. Vasudeva can also mean “one who shines (deva) with a wealth (vasu) of bhakti.”

Related values & verses

Related values

Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Prema (Divine Love)Svadhyaya (Self-study & Scripture Study)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Shraddha (Faith / Reverence)

Concepts

Jiva

Related lectures

BKG SB 10-48-24 - External reasons for the Lord%27s appearnace - 2023-12-19 New Goloka
His Holiness Bir Krishna Goswami· 2023-12-19· English

Personal Guidance

You are that very same Lord, appearing in Vasudeva's home with Your plenary portion to relieve earth's burden by killing armies led by kings who are demigods' enemies. Cosmic-burden relief is part of the work; politics and the Lord intersect.

Reflection Questions

Where do you separate the political and the spiritual that scripture insists are entangled?
What burden on the earth might Kṛṣṇa be addressing in your time?

Analogy

The earth, weighted with armies of demonic kings, is like a cart whose axle is bending — and the cart-owner Himself climbs down to lift the load. Kṛṣṇa is not a delegate; the bhāra-haraṇa is His personal errand.

Stories

Bhūmi-devī's appeal

Before Kṛṣṇa's descent (SB 10.1.17–25), Mother Earth, oppressed by the weight of demonic kings massing on her surface, took the form of a cow and approached Brahmā, who led the demigods to the milk ocean. Viṣṇu promised: I will descend with My own portion to lift your burden.

Akrūra here is citing that exact promise. The chapter's diplomacy with Trivakrā, Akrūra, and the Pāṇḍavas is the same mission seen at close range — every quiet visit is a small move in the bhūmi-bhāra-haraṇa.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io