Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.60.40
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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siṁhaḥ yathā
—
as a lion
Siṁha (lion) + yathā (as). The lion-of-Yadus (Yādava-siṁha) is one of Kṛṣṇa's traditional epithets. She uses the simile to refuse the cowering self-portrait — the lion takes; he does not flee.
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śārṅga-ninadena
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by the resounding of Śārṅga (Your bow)
Compound: śārṅga (Kṛṣṇa's bow) + ninada (twang). Śārṅga is one of His five eternal weapons (with Sudarśana, Pāñcajanya, Kaumodakī, Nandaka). She returns His own armaments to His self-portrait.
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jāḍyam
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foolishness
From jaḍa (inert, dull). Bold word — she calls His own speech jāḍyam. Gauḍīya tradition admires the boldness: the queen's prema licenses her to correct the Lord's pralambha by name.
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gadāgraja
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O Gadāgraja (elder brother of Gada)
Compound vocative: gada (His brother) + agra-ja (born before, elder). One of His Dvārakā-names — establishing Him in the family register, even as she refuses His denial of the family bond.
In text 12 of this chapter Lord Kṛṣṇa said, rājabhyo bibhyataḥ su-bhru samudraṁ śaranaṁ gatān: “Terrified of those kings, We went to the ocean for shelter.” According to the ācāryas, Lord Kṛṣṇa finally provoked Rukmiṇī’s anger by glorifying other men who might have been her husband, and thus in an agitated mood she here tells Him that she is not ignorant but rather that He has spoken foolishly. She states, “Like a lion You abducted me in the presence of those kings and drove them away with Your Śārṅga bow, so it is simply foolishness to say that out of fear of those same kings You went to the ocean.” According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, as Queen Rukmiṇī spoke these words she frowned and cast angry sidelong glances at the Lord.
Then suddenly she began to manifest the sthayi bhava of mana (anger). Having already hinted at his ignorance of her knowledge and foresight, becoming more angry because of his descriptions of the good qualities of the other kings, she clearly indicates his ignorance while showing sidelong glances and moving eyebrows. "Your words are foolish. Since you defeated the other kings and took me away as your prize, when you say that you took shelter of the ocean out of fear of them, it shows your foolishness." "But earlier you said that it was true that I took shelter of the ocean out of fear." verse 35. "True that was my foolishness to say that."
The suffix ya in jāḍyam denotes quality and work. Jāḍyam acts in apposition to the noun vacaḥ. Thus as a quality it indicates completely lifelessness of his words. And his words produce this effect. The word tu indicates opposition to Kṛṣṇa’s statement. You took me because I was your share (sva-bhāgam). O Gadāgraja! Even your younger brother Gada all alone was capable of driving them off. You are even more capable, since you are endowed with unlimited powers (īśa).
Tu indicates that the event is contrary to perception. You stole me, because I belonged to you (sva-bhāgam). Otherwise you would lose your fame. This description is given at the end, out of embarrassment. O Gadāgraja! Even your younger brother Gada all alone was capable of driving them off. You are even more capable, since you are endowed with unlimited powers (īśa).
- Where do you accept Kṛṣṇa's self-deprecating framing when His actions reveal lion-strength?
- Could you tease back with the truth?
A lion drives off jackals to take his proper share of the kill; the share was always his. So You drove off the kings with the twang of Śārṅga and took me — Your fair portion. To call that 'fleeing in fear' is jāḍya, foolish speech, and I will not let it stand.
My note
Source: vedabase.io