Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.62.4
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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vīrya-durmadaḥ
—
intoxicated by his strength
Compound: vīrya (prowess) + durmadaḥ (badly intoxicated). Gauḍīyas list mada (intoxication of strength, birth, learning, beauty, etc.) among the six enemies of bhakti. Bāṇa's bhakti has been infiltrated by mada precisely because Śiva has been so generous.
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kirīṭena
—
with his helmet
Instrumental of kirīṭa. The bowing convention is forehead-to-feet; Bāṇa keeps his helmet on. The picture is of a devotee who refuses to put down what makes him impressive even when bowing. Vraja's pure bhaktas, by contrast, drop everything to touch the dust of Kṛṣṇa's feet.
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pada-ambujam
—
lotus feet
Compound: pada (foot) + ambujam (lotus). Standard Vaiṣṇava image. The feet of any deva are 'lotus' only because they too take their fragrance from Hari's pada-padma (cf. SB 1.11.25). The image foreshadows where this episode actually ends: at Kṛṣṇa's feet.
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arka-varṇena
—
whose color was like the sun
Compound: arka (sun) + varṇena (with color). The helmet outshines its wearer. In Vraja, the only true sun-effulgence is Kṛṣṇa's own (kṛṣṇa sūrya-sama); demonic ornament is borrowed brightness that will dim the moment Bhagavān appears.
A particular event is described. Śiva was by his side because he continually stayed with Bāṇa in his city as its protector. Hari-vaṁśa describes his thoughts with his minister: deva-dānava-saṁghānāṁ yaḥ kartā bhuvana-prabhuḥ / sa bhavaḥ kārttikeyaś ca kṛtavāso hi naḥ pure // Śiva, the master of the world, the creator of all the devatās and demons and Kārtikeya is living in our city. Instead of parśva-stham sometimes pārsvataḥ is seen. He was intoxicated with his strength. Śiva thought of giving him a benediction suitable to his evil nature when he was about to ask for a favor. By the mercy of Śiva he obtained great wealth such as his gold crown. He was intoxicated with that wealth. Bāṇa touched Śiva’s feet with devotion (sam—spṛśan). That devotion was filled with rajas and tamas.
- Where do my acts of reverence quietly carry a wish to be admired?
- How might I keep humility intact when I bring my strengths to the Lord?
Like a king who, having just been given a kingdom, immediately tests the limits of his crown against the throne itself, Bāṇa touched Śiva's feet with his sun-bright helmet — the gesture of pratiṣṭhā-bhakti, devotion that uses worship as a stage for its own glitter.
My note
Source: vedabase.io