FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.66.10

इति दूतस्तमाक्षेपं स्वामिने सर्वमाहरत् । कृष्णोऽपि रथमास्थाय काशीमुपजगाम ह ॥ १० ॥
iti dūtas tam ākṣepaṁ
[iti dootas tam aakshepam]
svāmine sarvam āharat
[svaamine sarvam aaharat]
kṛṣṇo ’pi ratham āsthāya
[krishno ’pi ratham aasthaaya]
kāśīm upajagāma ha
[kaasheem upajagaama ha]
iti — thus addressed dūtaḥ — the messenger tam — those ākṣepam — insults svāmine — to his master sarvam — entire āharat — carried kṛṣṇaḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa api — and ratham — His chariot āsthāya — riding kāśīm — to Vārāṇasī upajagāma ha — went near .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
iti dūtas tam ākṣepaṁ
iti
thus addressed
dūtaḥ
the messenger
tam
those
ākṣepam
insults
svāmine sarvam āharat
svāmine
to his master
sarvam
entire
āharat
carried
kṛṣṇo ’pi ratham āsthāya
kṛṣṇaḥ
Lord Kṛṣṇa
api
and
ratham
His chariot
āsthāya
riding
kāśīm upajagāma ha
kāśīm
to Vārāṇasī
upajagāma ha
went near .
  • ākṣepam — the insults
    From ā-√kṣip (to throw at). The exact word for sharp counter-speech, especially in debate. Kṛṣṇa's reply is classified as ākṣepa — a recognized rhetorical move. The Lord knows the genres of speech and uses them deliberately.
  • svāmine — to his master
    Dative of svāmin (owner, lord). Bhāgavatam quietly tweaks the diction: the messenger's 'master' is Pauṇḍraka, a man whose mastership is fiction. The real Svāmin is the one whose chariot, two verses later, is already on the road.
  • ratham āsthāya — riding His chariot
    Compound idiom: ratha (chariot) + ā-√sthā (to mount). Echoes the BG opening (rathopastha upāviśat). The chariot of Kṛṣṇa carries different cargoes in different chapters — a hesitant Arjuna, a returning Sudāmā, now an iron resolve toward Kāśī.
  • kāśīm — to Vārāṇasī
    Accusative of Kāśī. The most ancient sacred city, presided over by Viśvanātha (Śiva). The chapter sets up the strange spectacle of Sudarśana eventually burning even Kāśī — because the city has sheltered the imitator and his abhicāra against Kṛṣṇa.
  • upajagāma ha — He went near
    Perfect of upa-√gam with the emphatic particle ha. The ha gives the line a Vedic-recitative gravity: 'thus, indeed, He went.' The Bhāgavata writes the journey as inevitable as gravity.
When the Lord had thus spoken, the messenger conveyed His insulting reply to his master in its entirety. Lord Kṛṣṇa then mounted His chariot and went to the vicinity of Kāśī.

In Kṛṣṇa, Śrīla Prabhupāda describes this incident as follows: “The messenger carried the words of Lord Kṛṣṇa to his master, Pauṇḍraka, who patiently heard all these insults. Without waiting any longer, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa immediately started out on His chariot to punish the rascal Pauṇḍraka, the King of Karūṣa. Because at that time the he was living with his friend the King of Kāśī, Kṛṣṇa surrounded the whole city of Kāśī.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
When the Lord had thus spoken, the messenger conveyed His insulting reply to his master in its entirety. Lord Kṛṣṇa then mounted His chariot and went to the vicinity of Kāśī.
Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Instead of tam ākṣepam sometimes tad ākṣepam is seen. Kṛṣṇa went near (upa) Kāśī. Ha indicates joy. Or he went to Karūṣa which was near Kāṣī.

Concepts
Jiva
Words eventually give way to action. Kṛṣṇa mounted His chariot and went directly to Kāśī to settle the matter. The Lord answers slowly, but when He moves, He moves decisively.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I avoiding a decisive step I know is needed?
  • What is the difference between patience and procrastination in my life?

The chariot of Kṛṣṇa is not a vehicle of conveyance but the moving courtroom in which His verdicts are executed. The wheels that bore Arjuna at Kurukṣetra now turn toward Kāśī — the geography of the world is rearranged around the Lord's mission.

📝 My note

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