FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.57.14

प्रत्याख्यात: स चाक्रूरं पार्ष्णिग्राहमयाचत । सोऽप्याह को विरुध्येत विद्वानीश्वरयोर्बलम् ॥ १४ ॥
pratyākhyātaḥ sa cākrūraṁ
[pratyaakhyaatah sa chaakrooram]
pārṣṇi-grāham ayācata
[paarshni-graaham ayaachata]
so ’py āha ko virudhyeta
[so ’py aaha ko virudhyeta]
vidvān īśvarayor balam
[vidvaan eeshvarayor balam]
Word-for-word
pratyākhyātaḥ — refused saḥ — he, Śatadhanvā ca — and akrūram — Akrūra pārṣṇi - grāham — for help ayācata — begged saḥ — he, Akrūra api — also āha — said kaḥ — who virudhyeta — can stand against vidvān — knowing īśvarayoḥ — of the two Personalities of Godhead balam — the strength .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
pratyākhyātaḥ sa cākrūraṁ
pratyākhyātaḥ
refused
saḥ
he, Śatadhanvā
ca
and
akrūram
Akrūra
pārṣṇi-grāham ayācata
pārṣṇi - grāham
for help
ayācata
begged
saḥ
he, Akrūra
api
also
so ’py āha ko virudhyeta
āha
said
kaḥ
who
virudhyeta
can stand against
vidvān īśvarayor balam
vidvān
knowing
īśvarayoḥ
of the two Personalities of Godhead
balam
the strength .
Important Words
  • pratyākhyātaḥ — refused, rejected
    Past participle of prati-ā-√khyā. The same word will repeat at verse 18 — the verse-pair forms a rejection-mirror. Bhāgavata's structural device: pāpa is closed off by repeated noes from those who could have helped.
  • pārṣṇi - grāham — (asking for) rear-guard support
    Compound: pārṣṇi (heel, rear) + grāha (grasp). The military term for one who attacks from behind / covers the rear. Śatadhanvā wants someone to take the blow that will land on his back — Akrūra declines.
  • vidvān — (one who is) knowing
    Present participle of √vid. Akrūra positions his refusal as an epistemic matter: anyone who knows the strength of the two Lords cannot oppose Them. Gauḍīyas read jñāna here as functional knowledge that produces surrender, not abstract theory.
  • balam — the strength
    From √bal. Bhagavān's bala is a recurring theme in the Bhāgavata's treatment of avatāra: it is not merely physical power but the inherent capacity of the īśvara. Gauḍīyas read 'balam īśvarayoḥ' as an oblique pointer to Balarāma's name itself — bala personified.
His appeal refused, Śatadhanvā went to Akrūra and begged him for protection. But Akrūra similarly told him, “Who would oppose the two Personalities of Godhead if he knew Their strength?
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
His appeal refused, Śatadhanvā went to Akrūra and begged him for protection. But Akrūra similarly told him, "Who would oppose the two Personalities of Godhead if he knew Their strength?
Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Pārṣṇi-grāham means help.

Related values & verses
Concepts
Jiva
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Refused, Śatadhanvā goes to Akrūra and begs protection; Akrūra similarly: who would oppose the two Personalities of Godhead knowing Their strength? The chain of refusals teaches the criminal what he should have known.
Reflection Questions
  • Where does refusal teach what the offender should have known in advance?
  • How do you receive refusal as teaching rather than as betrayal?
Analogy

Two doors closed in sequence — first Kṛtavarmā's, then Akrūra's — and Śatadhanvā is left holding the gem outside both. Gauḍīyas read these refusals as a quiet mercy: the doors that close on pāpa are themselves Bhagavān's hand.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 57