SB 10.54.3 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.54.3

अश्वपृष्ठे गजस्कन्धे रथोपस्थेऽस्‍त्र कोविदा: । मुमुचु: शरवर्षाणि मेघा अद्रिष्वपो यथा ॥ ३ ॥

aśva-pṛṣṭhe gaja-skandhe

[ashva-prishthe gaja-skandhe]

rathopasthe ’stra kovidāḥ

[rathopasthe ’stra kovidaah]

mumucuḥ śara-varṣāṇi

[mumuchuh shara-varshaani]

meghā adriṣv apo yathā

[meghaa adrishv apo yathaa]

Word-for-word

aśva - pṛṣṭhe — on horseback gaja — of elephants skandhe — on the shoulders ratha — of chariots upasthe — on the seats astra — of weapons kovidāḥ — those expert in the use mumucuḥ — released śara — of arrows varṣāṇi — rains meghāḥ — clouds adriṣu — upon mountains apaḥ — water yathā — as .

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

aśva-pṛṣṭhe gaja-skandhe

aśva - pṛṣṭhe

on horseback

gaja

of elephants

skandhe

on the shoulders

rathopasthe ’stra kovidāḥ

ratha

of chariots

upasthe

on the seats

astra

of weapons

kovidāḥ

those expert in the use

mumucuḥ śara-varṣāṇi

mumucuḥ

released

śara

of arrows

varṣāṇi

rains

meghā adriṣv apo yathā

meghāḥ

clouds

adriṣu

upon mountains

apaḥ

water

yathā

as .

Important Words

śara-varṣāṇi — rains of arrows
Compound: śara (arrow) + varṣa (rain, downpour). Sanskrit poetics has a stock metaphor for battle-fury as monsoon; Vyāsa picks it up to set up the Govardhana echo — rain that cannot harm Kṛṣṇa's shelter.
meghāḥ — clouds
Megha is also a stock simile for Kṛṣṇa's dark complexion (megha-śyāma). The verse plays the irony: clouds (enemy kings) pour rain on a hill, while the true Megha (Kṛṣṇa) stands as the hill that takes the rain.
adriṣu — upon mountains
Locative plural of adri. Adri is one of the Bhāgavatam's favorite words for Govardhana (giri-rāja). The acoustic association is deliberate — the verse trains the ear to hear Vraja under Mathurā/Dvārakā events.
astra-kovidāḥ — expert in the use of weapons
Astra (missile) + kovida (skilled). Material expertise has limits; the next verses show that the most skilled weapon-handlers still cannot harm what Kṛṣṇa protects. Skill without Kṛṣṇa is a closed door.
mumucuḥ — they released
Perfect of √muc, 'to release, let go'. The same verb-root that names mukti (release from saṁsāra). Here the enemies 'release' arrows; only Kṛṣṇa can release the soul — Vyāsa lets the pun hang in the background.

Mounted on the backs of horses, the shoulders of elephants and the seats of chariots, the enemy kings, expert with weapons, rained down arrows upon the Yadus like clouds pouring rain on mountains.

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

Mounted on the backs of horses, the shoulders of elephants and the seats of chariots, the enemy kings, expert with weapons, rained down arrows upon the Yadus like clouds pouring rain on mountains.

Commentary

The shower of Jarasandha’s arrows was like rain on a mountain, completely insignificant.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

Seated in their chariots (rathopaṣṭhe), expert at war (kovidāḥ), the enemy headed by Jarāsandha released a shower of arrows. The arrows were spread among the warriors. The showers from horses, elephants and chariots were progressively greater, because of their size. Because they were expert they released showers of arrows as if they were clouds.

Related values & verses

Related values

Bhakti (Devotion)Tejas (Inner Radiance / Vigour)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)

Concepts

Jiva

Personal Guidance

Mounted on horses, elephants, and chariots, enemy kings rain down arrows on the Yadus like clouds on mountains. Mass attacks look overwhelming from underneath; the mountain image steadies the picture.

Reflection Questions

Where does an attack feel like rain on mountains — and have you noticed mountains absorb storms?
How does the image of being a mountain change your stance?

Analogy

Arrows fall on the Yadus like monsoon rain on mountain-flanks — but rain only washes a mountain clean; it cannot move it. The Yādavas under Kṛṣṇa's shelter receive the storm as the Govardhana hill received Indra's downpour: untouched.

Stories

Govardhana under Indra's deluge

When Indra unleashed seven days of cataclysmic rain on Vraja, Kṛṣṇa lifted Govardhana on His little finger and made the hill itself an umbrella. Not one cow, not one cowherd, not one gopī was wet.

The same pattern recurs here: arrows fall on the Yadus like rain on mountains, but Kṛṣṇa is the silent canopy. Gauḍīyas read every later 'rain of weapons' verse as a faint echo of that Vraja morning when the Lord chose to shelter His own with His own body.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io