Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.67.17
द्विविदोऽपि महावीर्य: शालमुद्यम्य पाणिना ।
अभ्येत्य तरसा तेन बलं मूर्धन्यताडयत् ॥ १७ ॥
dvivido ’pi mahā-vīryaḥ
[dvivido ’pi mahaa-veeryah]
śālam udyamya pāṇinā
[shaalam udyamya paaninaa]
abhyetya tarasā tena
[abhyetya tarasaa tena]
balaṁ mūrdhany atāḍayat
[balam moordhany ataadayat]
Word-for-word
dvividaḥ
—
Dvivida
api
—
also
mahā
—
great
vīryaḥ
—
whose potency
śālam
—
a śāla tree
udyamya
—
lifting up
pāṇinā
—
with his hand
abhyetya
—
approaching
tarasā
—
swiftly
tena
—
with it
balam
—
Lord Balarāma
mūrdhani
—
on the head
atāḍayat
—
he struck .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
dvivido ’pi mahā-vīryaḥ
dvividaḥ
Dvivida
śālam udyamya pāṇinā
api
also
mahā
great
vīryaḥ
whose potency
abhyetya tarasā tena
śālam
a śāla tree
udyamya
lifting up
pāṇinā
with his hand
abhyetya
approaching
balaṁ mūrdhany atāḍayat
tarasā
swiftly
tena
with it
balam
Lord Balarāma
mūrdhani
on the head
atāḍayat
he struck .
Important Words
-
mahā-vīryaḥ
—
of great potency
Compound: mahā (great) + vīrya (heroic power). Echo of v.2's vīrya-vān. The chapter keeps reasserting the demon's stature so the reader cannot dismiss Balarāma's victory as easy. The size of the asura is the measure of His mercy.
-
śālam-udyamya
—
lifting up a śāla tree
Śāla — a great sal tree, classical emblem of forest-strength; the same trees Rāma shoots through with one arrow in the Vāli-episode. Vānara-vs-śāla imagery is Rāmāyaṇa-fed; SB invokes it deliberately as backdrop to Balarāma's victory.
-
tarasā
—
swiftly, with force
Instrumental of taras (speed, energy). Force without bhakti — the asura's only mode. Compare the same word in bhakti-mode: tarasā tartum eva = swiftly cross over (the ocean of birth-death) by surrender.
-
mūrdhani-atāḍayat
—
he struck on the head
Locative mūrdhan (head) + imperfect of √taḍ (to strike). To strike Bhagavān on the head is the maximal offense, dramatically; the verse holds that blow up so v.18's acalaḥ-yathā response can stand against it as immovability.
-
abhyetya
—
approaching, closing in
Abhi- + √i — to come up to, to confront. The asura at last comes within striking range of Bhagavān; the geometry the whole chapter has been narrowing finally closes.
Mighty Dvivida also came forward to do battle. Uprooting a śāla tree with one hand, he rushed toward Balarāma and struck Him on the head with the tree trunk.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Mighty Dvivida also came forward to do battle. Uprooting a śāla tree with one hand, he rushed toward Balarāma and struck Him on the head with the tree trunk.
Jīva Gosvāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Uprooting a tree with one hand, Dvivida approached Balarāma face to face.
Śrīdhara Svāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Dvivida was also angry, and showed his prowess. With one hand he uprooted a tree because he was most powerful (mahāvīryaḥ). He rushed at Balarāma and struck him on the head with the tree.
Related values & verses
Related values
Prema (Divine Love)Bhakti (Devotion)
Concepts
RasaJiva
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Dvivida uproots a śāla tree and rushes at the Lord. Sin escalates: insult becomes assault, mockery becomes attack. Unchecked impertinence ends in open war.
Reflection Questions
- Where in me has a small wrong begun to escalate because I did not interrupt it?
- What habit of mine started as light mischief and has grown serious?
Analogy
A śāla tree, hundreds of years in the growing, becomes a club in the asura's fist within a single breath. Demonic strength borrows everything — even the patient gifts of the forest — and uses them only to strike at Bhagavān.
My note
Source: vedabase.io