FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.54.16

रिपवो जिग्युरधुना काल आत्मानुसारिणि । तदा वयं विजेष्यामो यदा काल: प्रदक्षिण: ॥ १६ ॥
ripavo jigyur adhunā
[ripavo jigyur adhunaa]
kāla ātmānusāriṇi
[kaala aatmaanusaarini]
tadā vayaṁ vijeṣyāmo
[tadaa vayam vijeshyaamo]
yadā kālaḥ pradakṣiṇaḥ
[yadaa kaalah pradakshinah]
Word-for-word
ripavaḥ — our enemies jigyuḥ — have conquered adhunā — now kāle — the time ātma — them anusārīṇi — favoring tadā — then vayam — we vijeṣyāmaḥ — shall conquer yadā — when kālaḥ — time pradakṣiṇaḥ — turned toward us .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ripavo jigyur adhunā
ripavaḥ
our enemies
jigyuḥ
have conquered
adhunā
now
kāla ātmānusāriṇi
kāle
the time
ātma
them
anusārīṇi
favoring
tadā vayaṁ vijeṣyāmo
tadā
then
vayam
we
vijeṣyāmaḥ
shall conquer
yadā kālaḥ pradakṣiṇaḥ
yadā
when
kālaḥ
time
pradakṣiṇaḥ
turned toward us .
Important Words
  • kāle — in time
    Locative of kāla. Jarāsandha keeps invoking time. The Bhāgavatam will reveal at SB 11.7.48 that 'I, time' is one of Kṛṣṇa's own self-descriptions — the demons unwittingly name their conqueror.
  • ātma-anusārīṇi — favoring them (lit. following the self)
    Ātma (self) + anusārin (following). Demons construe time as serving their self-interest in cycles; Vaiṣṇavas know time follows Kṛṣṇa, not the asura's plans.
  • pradakṣiṇaḥ — turned toward us (lit. moving to the right / auspicious)
    Pra (forward) + dakṣiṇa (right, south, auspicious). The word that names temple-circumambulation. Jarāsandha hopes time will 'circumambulate' him as if HE were the deity — a precise inversion of bhakti.
  • vijeṣyāmaḥ — we shall conquer
    Future of vi-√ji. The same verb that produces 'jaya.' The demons project conquest into the future because the present has refused them. Gauḍīyas note: bhakti never postpones — 'yatra yatra mano dehī tatra tatra samāhitam' (BG 6.26).
  • ripavaḥ — enemies
    Plural of ripu. Naming Kṛṣṇa as 'enemy' is the demon's freedom; the devotee names Him 'mine.' Same Lord, different relation; entirely different fate.
Now our enemies have conquered because time favors them, but in the future, when time is auspicious for us, we shall conquer.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Now our enemies have conquered because time favors them, but in the future, when time is auspicious for us, we shall conquer.
Commentary

When time becomes favorable to us, then we win.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

He uses his philosophy to pacify Śiśupāla. When time is favorable to ourselves (ātma), we will defeat them more soundly (vi—jeṣyāmaḥ) than they have conquered us now. Some versions have vayam ca which means “we also.”

Related values & verses
Concepts
AtmaJiva
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Our enemies have conquered because time favors them; when time is auspicious for us, we shall conquer. Demonic philosophy expects future cycles to vindicate past defeats; revenge waits for a 'right time'.
Reflection Questions
  • Where are you waiting for an auspicious time that justifies revenge?
  • How do you discern between patience and revenge-deferment?
Analogy

Like a man who has lost at chess hoping the board will tilt back his way, Jarāsandha sees time as a wheel that simply revolves through good and bad sides. The Gauḍīya answer: the wheel is real, but it has a hub — Kṛṣṇa — and stepping onto the hub ends the spin.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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