FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.50.15

एवं सम्मन्‍त्र्य दाशार्हौ दंशितौ रथिनौ पुरात् । निर्जग्मतु: स्वायुधाढ्यौ बलेनाल्पीयसा वृतौ ॥ १५ ॥
evaṁ sammantrya dāśārhau
[evam sammantrya daashaarhau]
daṁśitau rathinau purāt
[damshitau rathinau puraat]
nirjagmatuḥ svāyudhāḍhyau
[nirjagmatuh svaayudhaadhyau]
balenālpīyasā vṛtau
[balenaalpeeyasaa vritau]
Word-for-word
evam — thus sammantrya — inviting Him dāśārhau — the two descendants of Daśārha (Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma) daṁśitau — wearing armor rathinau — riding Their chariots purāt — from the city nirjagmatuḥ — went out sva — Their own āyudha — with weapons āḍhyau — resplendent balena — by a force alpīyasā — very small vṛtau — accompanied .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
evaṁ sammantrya dāśārhau
evam
thus
sammantrya
inviting Him
dāśārhau
the two descendants of Daśārha (Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma)
daṁśitau rathinau purāt
daṁśitau
wearing armor
rathinau
riding Their chariots
purāt
from the city
nirjagmatuḥ svāyudhāḍhyau
nirjagmatuḥ
went out
sva
Their own
āyudha
with weapons
āḍhyau
resplendent
balenālpīyasā vṛtau
balena
by a force
alpīyasā
very small
vṛtau
accompanied .
Important Words
  • dāśārhau — the two descendants of Daśārha
    Dual. Daśārha was an ancestor of the Yadu kula. The name locates Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma firmly inside dynastic identity — they fight not as cosmic beings but as Yadu princes, the līlā keeping its mānuṣa frame.
  • daṁśitau — wearing armor
    From √daṁś — to bite, to be girded. Even Bhagavān dresses for battle, performing the kṣatriya etiquette to the letter. Gauḍīyas note: He needs no armor, but wears it because the līlā requires the form of human heroism.
  • alpīyasā — very small
    Comparative of alpa: 'with a quite small force.' The asymmetry — 23 akṣauhiṇīs vs. a tiny retinue — is the verse's whole point. Kṛṣṇa wins not by force-multiplication but by being Kṛṣṇa.
After Lord Kṛṣṇa had thus invited His brother, the two Dāśārhas, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, wearing armor and displaying Their resplendent weapons, drove out of the city in Their chariots. Only a very small contingent of soldiers accompanied Them.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
After Lord Kṛṣṇa had thus invited His brother, the two Dāśārhas, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, wearing armor and displaying Their resplendent weapons, drove out of the city in Their chariots. Only a very small contingent of soldiers accompanied Them.
Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

As part of their pastimes, they identified themselves as Dāśārhas and wore armor. Because of the strength of Jarāsandha’s army, their army appeared small in comparison. According to Hari-vaṁśa, Vikadru gave bad advice and they were surrounded by a few of their troops when all Jarāsandha’s troops came. The two were equipped with their weapons. Just by showing those weapons they made the enemy tremble.

Related values & verses
Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)
Related verses
BG 15.9 BG 9.1 BG 4.8 BG 10.1 BG 18.64 BG 15.7 BG 2.62 BG 3.11 BG 10.4 BG 12.3 BG 15.2 SB 4.29.2 BG 2.21 BG 16.1 BG 9.11 BG 3.30 BG 7.1
Concepts
Jiva
Personal Guidance
The two Dāśārhas, wearing armor with resplendent weapons, drive out of the city with only a very small contingent. Quality outweighs quantity when the Lord goes to war; small accompanying forces are not a problem.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do you wait for a large contingent when a small qualified one is sufficient?
  • What action could you take today with the few allies who are actually ready?
Analogy

The two Dāśārhas roll out of Mathurā with only a small retinue, the way two suns might step out of a single cloud. The smallness of Their force is itself the joke — the army is the Lord; everything else is decoration.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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