Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.54.27
अष्टभिश्चतुरो वाहान् द्वाभ्यां सूतं ध्वजं त्रिभि: ।
स चान्यद्धनुराधाय कृष्णं विव्याध पञ्चभि: ॥ २७ ॥
aṣṭabhiś caturo vāhān
[ashtabhish chaturo vaahaan]
dvābhyāṁ sūtaṁ dhvajaṁ tribhiḥ
[dvaabhyaam sootam dhvajam tribhih]
sa cānyad dhanur ādhāya
[sa chaanyad dhanur aadhaaya]
kṛṣṇaṁ vivyādha pañcabhiḥ
[krishnam vivyaadha panchabhih]
Word-for-word
aṣṭabhiḥ
—
with eight (arrows)
caturaḥ
—
the four
vāhān
—
horses
dvābhyām
—
with two
sūtam
—
the chariot driver
dhvajam
—
the flagpole
tribhiḥ
—
with three
saḥ
—
he, Rukmī
ca
—
and
anyat
—
another
dhanuḥ
—
bow
ādhāya
—
taking up
kṛṣṇam
—
Kṛṣṇa
vivyādha
—
pierced
pañcabhiḥ
—
with five .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
aṣṭabhiś caturo vāhān
aṣṭabhiḥ
with eight (arrows)
caturaḥ
the four
vāhān
horses
dvābhyāṁ sūtaṁ dhvajaṁ tribhiḥ
dvābhyām
with two
sūtam
the chariot driver
dhvajam
the flagpole
tribhiḥ
with three
sa cānyad dhanur ādhāya
saḥ
he, Rukmī
ca
and
anyat
another
dhanuḥ
bow
ādhāya
taking up
kṛṣṇaṁ vivyādha pañcabhiḥ
kṛṣṇam
Kṛṣṇa
vivyādha
pierced
pañcabhiḥ
with five .
Important Words
-
vāhān
—
horses
From √vah, 'to carry.' What carries us through battle (and saṁsāra) is itself fragile; the Lord can disable our mounts to make us walk back to Him.
-
sūtam
—
the chariot driver
Sūta — the charioteer-caste. Rukmī's sūta loses his driver-status the instant Kṛṣṇa's arrows strike. By contrast, Arjuna's Sūta IS the Supreme Lord — the very being whose station is high.
-
dhvajam
—
the flagpole
Dhvaja — a king's banner, his proclaimed identity. Kṛṣṇa breaking the dhvaja is symbolic: the public sign of Rukmī's authority is severed. Outer authority falls; only Kṛṣṇa's authority stays.
-
aṣṭabhiḥ
—
with eight (arrows)
Eight — number of Bhagavān's primary aṣṭa-sakhīs (in mādhurya-rasa). Vyāsa's arithmetic keeps tapping the reader on the shoulder: even in war, the numbers belong to līlā.
-
pañcabhiḥ
—
with five (arrows)
Five — number of the senses, the prāṇas, the elements. Rukmī's response is to strike with five — to fight Kṛṣṇa with the five senses. The Bhāgavatam-vyākhyā tradition reads such numerical patterns as catechetical asides.
The Lord struck Rukmī’s four horses with eight arrows, his chariot driver with two, and the chariot’s flag with three. Rukmī grabbed another bow and struck Lord Kṛṣṇa with five arrows.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
The Lord struck Rukmī's four horses with eight arrows, his chariot driver with two, and the chariot's flag with three. Rukmī grabbed another bow and struck Lord Kṛṣṇa with five arrows.
Jīva Gosvāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Kṛṣṇa struck each of the four horses with two arrows, to injure their two front feet. He shot two arrows at the driver to pierce his two hands. With three arrows he pierced the insignia, the flag and the pole. He did this to comfort Rukmiṇī.
Related values & verses
Concepts
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Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The Lord strikes Rukmī's four horses with eight arrows, his charioteer with two, his chariot's flag with three; Rukmī takes another bow and strikes with five. Strategic precision targets equipment, supporters, symbols; Rukmī replies with raw fire.
Reflection Questions
- Where does Kṛṣṇa target supporting infrastructure of an inner enemy that your reactive fire ignores?
- How could surgical strikes serve better than retaliation?
Analogy
Like a teacher disarming a hot-headed student weapon by weapon — patiently, until nothing is left in the hand — Kṛṣṇa methodically dismantles Rukmī's chariot, horses, driver, flag. The Lord conducts even battle as instruction.
My note
Source: vedabase.io