Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.50.41
एवं सप्तदशकृत्वस्तावत्यक्षौहिणीबल: ।
युयुधे मागधो राजा यदुभि: कृष्णपालितै: ॥ ४१ ॥
evaṁ saptadaśa-kṛtvas
[evam saptadasha-kritvas]
tāvaty akṣauhiṇī-balaḥ
[taavaty akshauhinee-balah]
yuyudhe māgadho rājā
[yuyudhe maagadho raajaa]
yadubhiḥ kṛṣṇa-pālitaiḥ
[yadubhih krishna-paalitaih]
Word-for-word
evam
—
in this way
sapta - daśa
—
seventeen
kṛtvaḥ
—
times
tāvati
—
even thus (being defeated)
akṣauhiṇī
—
consisting of entire divisions
balaḥ
—
his military strength
yuyudhe
—
fought
māgadhaḥ rājā
—
the King of Magadha
yadubhiḥ
—
with the Yadus
kṛṣṇa - pālitaiḥ
—
protected by Kṛṣṇa .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
evaṁ saptadaśa-kṛtvas
evam
in this way
sapta - daśa
seventeen
kṛtvaḥ
times
tāvaty akṣauhiṇī-balaḥ
tāvati
even thus (being defeated)
akṣauhiṇī
consisting of entire divisions
balaḥ
his military strength
yuyudhe māgadho rājā
yuyudhe
fought
māgadhaḥ rājā
the King of Magadha
yadubhiḥ kṛṣṇa-pālitaiḥ
yadubhiḥ
with the Yadus
kṛṣṇa - pālitaiḥ
protected by Kṛṣṇa .
Important Words
-
sapta-daśa
—
seventeen
Sapta (7) + daśa (10). The number is exact and significant — 17 sieges between the first attack and the arrival of Kālayavana. Tradition treats it as a precise count of bhū-bhāra harvests undertaken before the Dvārakā transition.
-
kṛṣṇa-pālitaiḥ
—
protected by Kṛṣṇa
Compound. The Yadus are repeatedly designated as kṛṣṇa-pālita — under Kṛṣṇa's direct care. This protection is doctrinally enacted Gītā 9.31, kaunteya pratijānīhi — He protects His own, even across seventeen sieges.
-
yuyudhe
—
fought
Imperfect of √yudh. The persistence of Jarāsandha — defeated yet returning — is the same pattern that defines all asuric obstinacy in Bhāgavata literature. The demon never learns; the devotee never has to fight twice.
Seventeen times the King of Magadha met defeat in this very way. And yet throughout these defeats he fought on with his akṣauhiṇī divisions against the forces of the Yadu dynasty who were protected by Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Seventeen times the King of Magadha met defeat in this very way. And yet throughout these defeats he fought on with his akṣauhiṇī divisions against the forces of the Yadu dynasty who were protected by Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Commentary
Jarasandha had such an army (Tavati aksauhini balah) of twenty three aksauhinis.
Jīva Gosvāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Each time he brought twenty-three akṣauhiṇīs and fought and after each defeat thought of going to the forest. Tāvatī should actually be masculine. Or it can modify akṣauhiṇī. He was capable of fighting using as much as twenty-three akṣauhiṇīs. As previously Kṛṣṇa’s army remained unharmed.
Related values & verses
Concepts
Jiva
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Seventeen times Jarāsandha is defeated and yet keeps coming back with akṣauhiṇī divisions. Some adversaries return repeatedly; the spiritual life is not always a one-and-done deal.
Reflection Questions
- Which inner adversary is on its seventeenth return, and how do you keep showing up?
- How does Kṛṣṇa's repeated patience teach you about persistence?
Analogy
Seventeen times the King of Magadha is broken; seventeen times he comes back. Each siege is itself a harvest by Kṛṣṇa — Jarāsandha is the unwitting collector, gathering kings into the field where Kṛṣṇa is reaping. The same demon reappears at the same gate, and each time more bhū-bhāra is lifted.
My note
Source: vedabase.io