Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.62.7
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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kaṇḍūtyā
—
with itching
Instrumental of kaṇḍūti (itch). The body-image is precise: his arms 'itch' to strike. Gauḍīyas read this as the somatic form of mada — the senses, denied service, demand violence as a substitute scratch.
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dik-gajān
—
the elephants who rule the directions
Compound: dik (direction) + gajān (elephants). The eight celestial elephants holding up the quarters (Airāvata etc.). Even cosmic guardians flee — a literary warning that Bāṇa has run out of legitimate opponents and now needs Bhagavān to come.
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ādya
—
O primeval one
Vocative of ādya. Bāṇa calls Śiva 'the original.' In the Gauḍīya frame, only Kṛṣṇa is ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.1). Bāṇa's mis-addressing of titles is, line by line, the chapter's quiet theology.
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cūrṇayan
—
crushing to powder
Present participle of √cūrṇaya. The verb of pulverizing. Bāṇa's arms grind mountains; Kṛṣṇa's cakra (we will see) will grind those same arms. Action returns in kind — the law beneath every Kṛṣṇa-līlā of judgment.
"Wanting to fight the elephants of the directions with my arms intensely itching with the desire to fight, O original persons ( adya), I went out with the intention of becoming famous as the conquerer of all directions, by conquerering all except the north east direction where you reside. When I rushed mountains in order to relieve my arms of their itching, the directions became afraid. Therefore please tell me, how can I relieve myself of this urge of battle except by fighting with you? And without relieving myself of this itching, how can I remain peaceful? Therefore do not find fault with me."
He speaks of his grief in trying to use his arms so they would not be useless. The desire to fight was intolerable, like an itch. I desired to fight the elephants of the directions, the best of all elephants, but they fled. You alone are worthy of fighting with me, not others. You alone should fight with me. That is what Bāṇa hints. Thinking that others should serve him, the enemy of the Lord committed offense against even the devatās. That is shown here.
- Where have I confused others' avoidance of me with their admiration of me?
- What untested strength of mine might be more fragile than I think?
Like a man who breaks his own house's pillars to test his hammer, Bāṇa pulverizes mountains and rushes the dig-gajas — and finds even the elephants of the directions running away. Strength without an object devolves into vandalism dressed up as valor.
My note
Source: vedabase.io