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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.68.8

सोऽपविद्ध: कुरुश्रेष्ठ कुरुभिर्यदुनन्दन: । नामृष्यत्तदचिन्त्यार्भ: सिंह क्षुद्रमृगैरिव ॥ ८ ॥
so ’paviddhaḥ kuru-śreṣṭha
[so ’paviddhah kuru-shreshtha]
kurubhir yadu-nandanaḥ
[kurubhir yadu-nandanah]
nāmṛṣyat tad acintyārbhaḥ
[naamrishyat tad achintyaarbhah]
siṁha kṣudra-mṛgair iva
[simha kshudra-mrigair iva]
saḥ — he apaviddhaḥ — unjustly attacked kuru - śreṣṭha — O best of the Kurus (Parīkṣit Mahārāja) kurubhiḥ — by the Kurus yadu - nandanaḥ — the dear son of the Yadu dynasty na amṛṣyat — did not tolerate tat — it acintya — of the inconceivable Lord, Kṛṣṇa arbhaḥ — the child siṁhaḥ — a lion kṣudra — insignificant mṛgaiḥ — by animals iva — as .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
so ’paviddhaḥ kuru-śreṣṭha
saḥ
he
apaviddhaḥ
unjustly attacked
kuru - śreṣṭha
O best of the Kurus (Parīkṣit Mahārāja)
kurubhir yadu-nandanaḥ
kurubhiḥ
by the Kurus
yadu - nandanaḥ
the dear son of the Yadu dynasty
na amṛṣyat
did not tolerate
nāmṛṣyat tad acintyārbhaḥ
tat
it
acintya
of the inconceivable Lord, Kṛṣṇa
arbhaḥ
the child
siṁha kṣudra-mṛgair iva
siṁhaḥ
a lion
kṣudra
insignificant
mṛgaiḥ
by animals
iva
as .
  • acintya — of the inconceivable Lord
    Sāmba is named here as the son of acintya Kṛṣṇa — the Supreme Lord whose nature is beyond reason. Gauḍīya doctrine names Bhagavān's nature acintya-bhedābheda; the word is no accident here.
  • arbhaḥ — the child
    The Kurus called him arbhaka (verse 2) as an insult; Śukadeva now calls him arbha as Kṛṣṇa's child — the same youth, two utterly different framings.
  • yadu - nandanaḥ — the darling of the Yadus
    Nandana — 'one who delights.' The whole Yadu clan loves Sāmba. To strike him is to wound them all, which is exactly the Kuru error.
  • kṣudra - mṛgaiḥ — by insignificant animals
    Śukadeva's verdict on the six Kuru champions. The Kurus see lions in themselves; the Bhāgavata sees kṣudra-mṛgas — small game.
  • na amṛṣyat — did not tolerate
    Sāmba's pride is kṣatriya pride, not vanity. The śiṣya of dharma tolerates injustice to himself but not the dishonor of his clan and his father.
O best of the Kurus, as Kṛṣṇa’s son Sāmba was being unjustly harassed by the Kurus, that darling of the Yadu dynasty did not tolerate their attack, any more than a lion would tolerate an attack by puny animals.

Commenting on the word acintyārbha, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in Kṛṣṇa: “Sāmba, the glorious son of the Yadu dynasty, [was] endowed with inconceivable potencies as the son of Lord Kṛṣṇa.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O best of the Kurus, as Kṛṣṇa's son Sāmba was being unjustly harassed by the Kurus, that darling of the Yadu dynasty did not tolerate their attack, any more than a lion would tolerate an attack by puny animals.
Commentary

The child of the supreme lord ( acintaysa arbhah) did not tolerate being struck so unjustly (apaviddha).

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Attacked violently (atividdhaḥ) or attacked out of infamy (apa—viddhaḥ) Sāmba did not tolerate it. O best of the Kurus! Śukadeva pacified Parīkṣit who was ashamed of the Kurus bad behavior. Sāmba was the joy of the Yadus (yadu-nandanaḥ) Hari-vaṁśa says: bālyāt prabhṛti rāmeṇa so ‘streṣu viniyojitaḥ rāmād anantaraṁ caiva mānitaḥ sarva-vṛṣṇabhiḥ From childhood Sāmba had been trained by Balarāma. He was respected by Balarāma and all the Vṛṣṇis. By his nature he was an astounding boy.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Śukadeva calls to Parīkṣit in lamentation at Sāmba’s being attacked or he is joyful at Samba’s anger. Or he pacifies Parīkṣit who was ashamed of Sāmba’s bad behavior. As the best of the Yadus, Sāmba was superior to the Kurus, or he was the very best. Hari-vaṁśa indicates his power: bālyāt prabhṛti rāmeṇa so ‘streṣu viniyojitaḥ rāmād anantaraṁ caiva mānitaḥ sarva-vṛṣṇabhiḥ From childhood Sāmba had been trained by Balarāma. He was respected by Balarāma and all the Vṛṣṇis. Or he was the joy of the Yadus (yadu-nandanaḥ). Though he was a boy, he was not inferior to the Kuru warriors. He was an astonishing boy (acintyaḥ). He was like a lion who does not tolerate the attack of small animals but kills them.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses
Sāmba would not tolerate unjust attack — a lion does not yield to puny animals. There is dignity in refusing to accept abuse as if it were just. Self-respect is a quiet form of devotion.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I tolerating mistreatment because I think bhakti requires it?
  • What is the difference between humility and accepting injustice?

A lion-cub of inconceivable parentage, mobbed by jackals: his patience is not weakness but composure, because the Father whose son he is watches from beyond the trees.

📝 My note

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