Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.54.2
तानापतत आलोक्य यादवानीकयूथपा: ।
तस्थुस्तत्सम्मुखा राजन्विस्फूर्ज्य स्वधनूंषि ते ॥ २ ॥
tān āpatata ālokya
[taan aapatata aalokya]
yādavānīka-yūthapāḥ
[yaadavaaneeka-yoothapaah]
tasthus tat-sammukhā rājan
[tasthus tat-sammukhaa raajan]
visphūrjya sva-dhanūṁṣi te
[visphoorjya sva-dhanoomshi te]
Word-for-word
tān
—
them
āpatataḥ
—
in pursuit
ālokya
—
seeing
yādava - anīka
—
of the Yādava army
yūtha - paḥ
—
the officers
tasthuḥ
—
stood
tat
—
them
sammukhāḥ
—
directly facing
rājan
—
O King (Parīkṣit)
visphūrjya
—
twanging
sva
—
their
dhanūṁṣi
—
bows
te
—
they .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tān āpatata ālokya
tān
them
āpatataḥ
in pursuit
ālokya
seeing
yādavānīka-yūthapāḥ
yādava - anīka
of the Yādava army
yūtha - paḥ
the officers
tasthus tat-sammukhā rājan
tasthuḥ
stood
tat
them
sammukhāḥ
directly facing
rājan
O King (Parīkṣit)
visphūrjya sva-dhanūṁṣi te
visphūrjya
twanging
sva
their
dhanūṁṣi
bows
te
they .
Important Words
-
yādava-anīka
—
of the Yādava army
Compound: yādava (descendants of Yadu) + anīka (army). The Yadus are the dynasty Kṛṣṇa graced by birth; in Gauḍīya understanding 'Yādava' designates not race but those whom Bhagavān has made His own household.
-
yūtha-paḥ
—
the officers / herd-leaders
Yūtha-pa literally means 'leader of a herd' — the same word used in Canto 8 for Gajendra's elephant lordship. Even military leadership, in the Bhāgavatam, is described in vraja-tinted pastoral vocabulary.
-
sammukhāḥ
—
directly facing
Sam (together, fully) + mukha (face). Facing the enemy is a soldier's dharma; turning the face toward Kṛṣṇa (kṛṣṇa-sammukhya) is the soul's. The Yādavas demonstrate both at once.
-
visphūrjya
—
twanging
Onomatopoeic root √sphūrj — the sound of bow-string drawn taut. Vyāsa is meticulous about the soundscape of līlā: the twang here is a sonic counter to the conches that will sound at the wedding.
-
rājan
—
O King (Parīkṣit)
Vocative. Śukadeva keeps calling Parīkṣit back into the frame — the dying king who has only seven days left needs the reassurance that Kṛṣṇa's people stand firm even against overwhelming odds.
The commanders of the Yādava army, seeing the enemy racing to attack, turned to face them and stood firm, O King, twanging their bows.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
The commanders of the Yādava army, seeing the enemy racing to attack, turned to face them and stood firm, O King, twanging their bows.
Commentary
Seeing the enemy pursue them, they drew their bows (visphujya) and faced them.
Jīva Gosvāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Those (te) who were famous as commanders of the Yādava armies, who had gathered with Balarāma previously in anticipation of a fight, faced the enemy. They drew their extraordinary (sva) bows.
Related values & verses
Concepts
Jiva
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The Yādava army commanders, seeing the enemy attack, turn to face them and stand firm, twanging their bows. Defenders don't flee — they pivot and twang; readiness is itself signal.
Reflection Questions
- Where could pivoting and 'twanging' replace flight in your response to opposition?
- What signal of readiness would change the temperature of a confrontation?
Analogy
Like a sea-wall meeting the wave, the Yādava commanders turn and stand, the twang of their bows a single calm note over the kings' roar. To stand in defense of Kṛṣṇa's chosen is itself a kind of bhakti — sthitam.
My note
Source: vedabase.io