FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.77.13

तामापतन्तीं नभसि महोल्कामिव रंहसा । भासयन्तीं दिश: शौरि: सायकै: शतधाच्छिनत् ॥ १३ ॥
tām āpatantīṁ nabhasi
[taam aapatanteem nabhasi]
maholkām iva raṁhasā
[maholkaam iva ramhasaa]
bhāsayantīṁ diśaḥ śauriḥ
[bhaasayanteem dishah shaurih]
sāyakaiḥ śatadhācchinat
[saayakaih shatadhaachchinat]
Word-for-word
tām — that āpatantīm — flying toward nabhasi — in the sky mahā — great ulkām — a meteor iva — like raṁhasā — swiftly bhāsayantīm — illuminating diśaḥ — the directions śauriḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa sāyakaiḥ — with His arrows śatadhā — in hundreds of pieces acchinat — cut .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tām āpatantīṁ nabhasi
tām
that
āpatantīm
flying toward
nabhasi
in the sky
maholkām iva raṁhasā
mahā
great
ulkām
a meteor
iva
like
raṁhasā
swiftly
bhāsayantīṁ diśaḥ śauriḥ
bhāsayantīm
illuminating
diśaḥ
the directions
śauriḥ
Lord Kṛṣṇa
sāyakaiḥ śatadhācchinat
sāyakaiḥ
with His arrows
śatadhā
in hundreds of pieces
acchinat
cut .
Important Words
  • mahā-ulkām — like a great meteor
    Compound: mahā (great) + ulkā (meteor, falling firebrand). The simile attaches to māyā's weapons across the Bhāgavatam — bright, hot, brief, and ultimately falling. Compare the gopīs' contempt for ulkā-like distractions in Vraja.
  • śauriḥ — Lord Śauri
    Descendant of Śūra, i.e. Kṛṣṇa as the grandson of King Śūrasena. The dynastic name highlights His kṣatriya lineage; the Lord acts here through that paramparā, as one bound by the warrior's duty to His own.
  • śatadhā — into a hundred pieces
    Adverb: in a hundred ways. The Lord's arrow does not merely deflect Śālva's spear; it splinters it. Decisive Vaiṣṇava counter: not parry, but disintegration.
Śālva’s hurtling spear lit up the whole sky like a mighty meteor, but Lord Śauri tore the great weapon into hundreds of pieces with His arrows.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Śālva's hurtling spear lit up the whole sky like a mighty meteor, but Lord Śauri tore the great weapon into hundreds of pieces with His arrows.
Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Kṛṣṇa destroyed the spear while it was in the sky.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

The spear was like a meteor because of its speed and lighting up all directions. Or Kṛṣṇa broke the spear in the sky like a meteor since he was directly the Lord, appearing in Śūra’s dynasty to reveal his unlimited powers.

Related values & verses
Concepts
Jiva
Personal Guidance
The spear blazed like a meteor; Kṛṣṇa tore it into hundreds of pieces with His arrows. Even spectacular attacks become harmless when met with precise, fast response.
Reflection Questions
  • What spectacular but actually small attack have I been over-impressed by?
  • What precise response would dismantle it?
Analogy

The spear flares across the sky like a meteor, lighting every direction — and Kṛṣṇa cuts it into a hundred pieces with His arrows. A devotee learns that even the most dazzling display from māyā can be reduced to fragments by the steady, unimpressed shafts of nāma and śāstra.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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