FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.74.44

शब्द: कोलाहलोऽथासीच्छिशुपाले हते महान् । तस्यानुयायिनो भूपा दुद्रुवुर्जीवितैषिण: ॥ ४४ ॥
śabdaḥ kolāhalo ’thāsīc
[shabdah kolaahalo ’thaaseech]
chiśupāle hate mahān
[chishupaale hate mahaan]
tasyānuyāyino bhūpā
[tasyaanuyaayino bhoopaa]
dudruvur jīvitaiṣiṇaḥ
[dudruvur jeevitaishinah]
Word-for-word
śabdaḥ — a sound kolāhalaḥ — uproar atha — thereupon āsīt — there was śiśupāle — Śiśupāla hate — being killed mahān — huge tasya — his anuyāyinaḥ — followers bhūpāḥ — kings dudruvuḥ — fled jīvita — their lives eṣiṇaḥ — hoping to save .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śabdaḥ kolāhalo ’thāsīc
śabdaḥ
a sound
kolāhalaḥ
uproar
chiśupāle hate mahān
atha
thereupon
tasyānuyāyino bhūpā
āsīt
there was
dudruvur jīvitaiṣiṇaḥ
śiśupāle
Śiśupāla
hate
being killed
mahān
huge
tasya
his
anuyāyinaḥ
followers
bhūpāḥ
kings
dudruvuḥ
fled
jīvita
their lives
eṣiṇaḥ
hoping to save .
Important Words
  • kolāhalaḥ — uproar
    Onomatopoeic — the sound of a great crowd reacting at once. Gauḍīyas note Vyāsa's ear for the texture of public moments; the verse hears the assembly's roar as much as it sees the act.
  • anuyāyinaḥ — followers
    From anu + √yā (to go after). Those who go behind. The Bhāgavatam's quiet judgement: aligning oneself anu Śiśupāla is structurally aligning oneself with naṣṭa-maṅgala.
  • dudruvuḥ — fled
    Perfect of √dru (to run). The Bhāgavatam pictures the kings running. Note the contrast: when bhaktas hear nindā they walk out (verse 39); when asuras see truth, they run.
  • jīvita - eṣiṇaḥ — hoping to save their lives
    Compound: jīvita (life) + eṣin (one who seeks). 'Life-seekers'. Gauḍīyas: jīvita-eṣaṇā is the lowest possible motivation; the bhakta seeks Kṛṣṇa, not jīvita. The verse uses the asuras' lowest motive to characterise the whole faction.
When Śiśupāla was thus killed, a great roar and howl went up from the crowd. Taking advantage of that disturbance, the few kings who were supporters of Śiśupāla quickly left the assembly out of fear for their lives.
Purport

The above translation is taken from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
When Śiśupāla was thus killed, a great roar and howl went up from the crowd. Taking advantage of that disturbance, the few kings who were supporters of Śiśupāla quickly left the assembly out of fear for their lives.
Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

There was a huge uproar. Instead of atha sometimes api is seen, indicating the whole. Some shouted loudly “Victory! Victory!”

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

There was a huge uproar. Some lamented. Some said, “Very good!” Some shouted loudly “Victory! Victory!” Or there was an uproar because some lamented and some were joyful. Kolahala imitates the sound made. Śiśupāla’s followers left, interested in their lives, not dharma. They quickly left the festival of the sacrifice, fearing death.

Related values & verses
Related values
Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomAbhaya (Fearlessness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)
Related verses
BG 5.7 BG 12.5 BG 5.4 BG 3.27 BG 10.4 BG 3.11 BG 7.8 BG 13.1 BG 12.6 BG 14.1
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
A great roar arose, and Śiśupāla's few supporters fled. When the central delusion falls, its supporters often disappear quickly. Many alliances are thinner than they look.
Reflection Questions
  • What alliance am I imagining is solid that might be thin?
  • Where am I overestimating opposition that would scatter if the center fell?
Analogy

When a tall tree is felled, even the birds nesting on the lowest branches scatter. Śiśupāla's small ring of followers — kings who had bet on the wrong side — flee as the assembly roars; the Bhāgavatam does not name them, because they will not matter.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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