SB 10.77.12 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.77.12

शाल्वश्च कृष्णमालोक्य हतप्रायबलेश्वर: । प्राहरत् कृष्णसूताय शक्तिं भीमरवां मृधे ॥ १२ ॥

śālvaś ca kṛṣṇam ālokya

[shaalvash cha krishnam aalokya]

hata-prāya-baleśvaraḥ

[hata-praaya-baleshvarah]

prāharat kṛṣṇa-sūtaya

[praaharat krishna-sootaya]

śaktiṁ bhīma-ravāṁ mṛdhe

[shaktim bheema-ravaam mridhe]

Word-for-word

śālvaḥ — Śālva ca — and kṛṣṇam — Lord Kṛṣṇa ālokya — seeing hata — destroyed prāya — virtually bala — of an army īśvaraḥ — the master prāharat — he cast kṛṣṇa - sūtāya — at Kṛṣṇa’s chariot driver śaktim — his spear bhīma — frightening ravām — whose roaring sound mṛdhe — on the battlefield .

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

śālvaś ca kṛṣṇam ālokya

śālvaḥ

Śālva

and

kṛṣṇam

Lord Kṛṣṇa

ālokya

seeing

hata-prāya-baleśvaraḥ

hata

destroyed

prāya

virtually

bala

of an army

īśvaraḥ

the master

prāharat kṛṣṇa-sūtaya

prāharat

he cast

kṛṣṇa - sūtāya

at Kṛṣṇa’s chariot driver

śaktiṁ bhīma-ravāṁ mṛdhe

śaktim

his spear

bhīma

frightening

ravām

whose roaring sound

mṛdhe

on the battlefield .

Important Words

hata-prāya — almost destroyed
Compound: hata (struck down) + prāya (almost). Twenty-seven days of battle have nearly finished Śālva's force — yet māyā in its dying throes is most dangerous, throwing its loudest weapon at the Lord's nearest servant.
kṛṣṇa-sūtāya — at Kṛṣṇa's driver
Compound: kṛṣṇa + sūta (driver, here Dāruka). The dative case names the target: the spear is aimed at Dāruka. Bhāgavatam's quiet declaration that to attack Kṛṣṇa's servant is already to declare war on Kṛṣṇa Himself.
bhīma-ravām — of fearsome roar
Compound: bhīma (terrifying) + rava (cry, roar). The spear shrieks across the sky — māyā's weapons are noisy by design; the Bhāgavatam consistently associates true power with quietness and asurī display with great noise.

When Śālva, the master of a decimated army, saw Lord Kṛṣṇa approaching, he hurled his spear at the Lord’s charioteer. The spear roared frighteningly as it flew across the battlefield.

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

When Śālva, the master of a decimated army, saw Lord Kṛṣṇa approaching, he hurled his spear at the Lord's charioteer. The spear roared frighteningly as it flew across the battlefield.

Commentary

Salva whose generals (balsevara) were almost dead saw Krsna.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

Though he was the lord of a decimated army, Śālva in the battlefield hurled a spear in order to strike Kṛṣṇa (pra—āharat).

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

Though the Yadus were filled with bliss on seeing the Garuḍa flag, Śālva was not (ca). He was filled with anger because of his evil nature. When he saw Kṛṣṇa, who had pulled out the life of his friends Śiśupāla, he threw his spear, though his army had been decimated.

Related values & verses

Related values

Kartavya (Duty / Responsibility)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)

Concepts

Jiva

Personal Guidance

Śālva hurled his roaring spear at Kṛṣṇa's charioteer — not at Kṛṣṇa Himself. Sometimes opposition targets the people around us first; protecting our team is part of the leader's job.

Reflection Questions

Whose 'driver' role in my life is taking flak for me?
How am I shielding the people who support my work?

Analogy

His army shattered, Śālva sees Kṛṣṇa approaching and hurls his roaring spear — not at Kṛṣṇa, but at His charioteer. The demonic strategy is always to wound the servant standing nearest to Bhagavān, since it dares not strike Bhagavān Himself first.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io