Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.62.8
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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kruddhaḥ
—
angry
Past participle of √krudh. Śiva's anger is not the asuric anger of frustrated desire; it is the kind that Kṛṣṇa shows toward devotees who have hardened — the burning meant to soften.
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ketuḥ
—
(your) flag
Nominative of ketu. The dhvaja is a king's pride made visible. 'Your flag will break' is shorthand for the destruction of pratiṣṭhā — the same lesson Sanātana Gosvāmī receives from Mahāprabhu: bhakti grows only where pratiṣṭhā has been pulled down.
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darpa-ghnam
—
destroying pride
Compound: darpa (arrogance) + ghnam (destroying). The technical term for Bhagavān's appearance to humble His own devotees and the demons alike. Kṛṣṇa is darpa-hara (cf. SB 10.14: stealing the boys' calves to break Brahmā's darpa).
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mat-samena
—
with one equal to me
Compound: mat (me) + samena (equal). Śiva names his own equal — and Gauḍīyas hear Kṛṣṇa pointed to obliquely (Kṛṣṇa is greater than equal; Śiva self-effacingly says 'equal'). The Lord humbles even His own delegated worship by remembering the source.
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mūḍha
—
O fool
Vocative of mūḍha. The same word Kṛṣṇa uses (BG 7.15) for those whose intelligence is stolen by māyā. That Śiva uses it of his devotee shows divine love is not soft sentiment — it diagnoses and names the disease.
Lord Śiva could have immediately chastised Bāṇāsura and personally destroyed his pride, but since Bāṇāsura had been such a faithful servant of his, Śiva did not do so.
Siva became angry on hearing those words. First he thought that he would kill Banasura. Then he thought, "It would be improper to kill with my own hands my servant. If, having attained my mercy, this strong man proudly thinks that his thousand arms are a burden, then my master who relieves the world of its burden will take away his burden." Considering this, Siva spoke with anger. "When your peacock flag breaks spontaneously, you will fight with someone equal to me." He states this to satisify Banasura. The real meaning however is: "You will fight with a person whose has splendour. " ( sa means "with" and "ma" means splendor).
Śiva, called bhagavān because he is the lord of past, present and future, then spoke (verb is understood). You have spoken suitable to your nature. Your flag with the peacock emblem will break by itself. O fool! You do not know the accomplishment of your desire. By your pride you are choosing this. You will fight with my equal. “He will become astonished by my saying this much. What more need I indicate to him?” Sama actually means “with he who resides with (sa) Lakṣmī (ma).” That indicates Kṛṣṇa, who is the object of my (Śiva’s) service, who is everything (sama) to me (mat).
Śiva, called bhagavān because he is the lord of past, present and future, then spoke (verb is understood). He was angry. Your flag with the peacock emblem will break by itself because of your madness and bad words. O fool! Bāṇa was a fool because of his desire for danger and because of his great pride. A fight with he who is my equal (Krṣṇa or Aniruddha) will destroy your pride. Or the fight with he who is with Lakṣmī (samena) and served by me (mat) will destroy your pride. Sama actually means “with he who resides with (sa) Lakṣmī (ma).” That indicates Kṛṣṇa, who is the object of my (Śiva’s) service.
- What foolish wish of mine has been mercifully delayed in being granted?
- How might gentle warnings I have received already be more serious than they sounded?
Like a master who, hearing his student boast, calmly predicts the very humbling that the boast invites, Śiva tells Bāṇa his flag will fall when one equal to himself appears. The Lord's anger toward a devotee is always pedagogy, never abandonment.
In the Vana-parva of the Mahābhārata, Hanumān (himself a partial incarnation of Rudra) tests Bhīma's pride by lying as an old monkey across his path. Bhīma cannot lift even his tail. The lesson is identical to Śiva's lesson here: every strong one needs an equal placed before him, or pride will eat the strength.
Gauḍīyas read both episodes the same way: the Lord and His delegated devas arrange humbling encounters not to crush, but to make the servant fit for higher service.
My note
Source: vedabase.io