FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.67.5

क्व‍‍चित् समुद्रमध्यस्थो दोर्भ्यामुत्क्षिप्य तज्जलम् । देशान् नागायुतप्राणो वेलाकूले न्यमज्जयत् ॥ ५ ॥
kvacit samudra-madhya-stho
[kvachit samudra-madhya-stho]
dorbhyām utkṣipya taj-jalam
[dorbhyaam utkshipya taj-jalam]
deśān nāgāyuta-prāṇo
[deshaan naagaayuta-praano]
velā-kūle nyamajjayat
[velaa-koole nyamajjayat]
Word-for-word
kvacit — once samudra — of the ocean madhya — in the midst sthaḥ — standing dorbhyām — with his arms utkṣipya — churning up tat — its jalam — water deśān — the kingdoms nāga — elephants ayuta — (like) ten thousand prāṇaḥ — whose vital strength velā — of the coast kūle — upon the shore nyamajjayat — he caused to drown .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kvacit samudra-madhya-stho
kvacit
once
samudra
of the ocean
madhya
in the midst
sthaḥ
standing
dorbhyām utkṣipya taj-jalam
dorbhyām
with his arms
utkṣipya
churning up
tat
its
jalam
water
deśān nāgāyuta-prāṇo
deśān
the kingdoms
nāga
elephants
ayuta
(like) ten thousand
prāṇaḥ
whose vital strength
velā-kūle nyamajjayat
velā
of the coast
kūle
upon the shore
nyamajjayat
he caused to drown .
Important Words
  • samudra-madhya-sthaḥ — standing in the midst of the ocean
    Compound echoing Kṛṣṇa's līlā as the Lord who stands in the milk-ocean. The poet places Dvivida in the same physical posture as Viṣṇu-Nārāyaṇa, only to make the contrast: same stance, opposite intent.
  • dorbhyām-utkṣipya — churning up with his arms
    Dorbhyām (with the two arms) + utkṣipya (tossing up). The demon's two arms parody the kalpa-vṛkṣa-like arms of Bhagavān in samudra-manthana. Two arms can hold up the earth or sink it; the choice is bhakti or revenge.
  • nāga-ayuta-prāṇaḥ — whose vital strength equals ten thousand elephants
    Compound: nāga (elephant) + ayuta (ten thousand) + prāṇa (vital force). Hyperbolic scale of asura-bala; SB regularly cites it to make the eventual defeat by Bhagavān structurally meaningful — the larger the asura, the smaller He shows it to be.
  • velā-kūle — upon the coast
    Velā (tide-line, shore) + kūla (bank). The coastline is precisely where Dvārakā meets the sea. The demon is again pressing toward the dhāma without yet daring to enter it.
  • nyamajjayat — he caused to drown
    Causative of √majj (to sink). The asura sinks the kingdoms; Bhagavān, contrarily, lifts the drowning (Gajendra in SB 8.2–4). Two verbs of water — sinking and lifting — sort the cosmos between asura and Hari.
Another time he entered the ocean and, with the strength of ten thousand elephants, churned up its water with his arms and thus submerged the coastal regions.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Another time he entered the ocean and, with the strength of ten thousand elephants, churned up its water with his arms and thus submerged the coastal regions.
Commentary

He began to flood the areas on the shore of the ocean (vela kule) with water.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Having the strength (prāṇaḥ) of ten thousand elephants, he submerged whatever was present on the shore. Instead of velā-kūle sometimes kūlān is seen. Use of the word prāṇaḥ to denote “possessing strength” follows the rule ara ādibhyo ‘c (Pāṇini 5.2.127)

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

None Having the strength (prāṇaḥ) of ten thousand elephants, he submerged whatever was present on the shore. Instead of velā-kūle sometimes kūlān is seen. Use of the word prāṇaḥ to denote “possessing strength” follows the rule ara ādibhyo ‘c (Pāṇini 5.2.127)

Related values & verses
Concepts
ChitJiva
Personal Guidance
Dvivida churns the ocean with the strength of ten thousand elephants — sheer power expended on nothing but disruption. Misdirected energy is the saddest form of strength.
Reflection Questions
  • Where in my life is great energy being spent for no good end?
  • What in me longs to channel its strength toward something worth disturbing the ocean for?
Analogy

Ten thousand elephants of strength churning the ocean — not to bring forth nectar as the devas and asuras once did at Mandara, but to drown the coast. The same churning that, with Bhagavān at the center, yielded amṛta, here yields ruin: śakti without Hari capsizes its own world.

Stories
Samudra-manthana, inverted

In SB 8.6–8 the devas and asuras together churned the kṣīra-sāgara around Mount Mandara, with Kūrma-avatāra as the pivot; the work yielded Lakṣmī, the moon, and finally amṛta. The whole operation succeeded because Bhagavān was the axis.

Dvivida churns the same ocean with the same kind of strength, but with no Lord at the center — only his revenge. The water that once held nectar now drowns villages. The Gauḍīya reading: any churning without Hari at the pivot turns destructive.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 67