SB 10.77.3 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.77.3

चतुर्भिश्चतुरो वाहान् सूतमेकेन चाहनत् । द्वाभ्यं धनुश्च केतुं च शरेणान्येन वै शिर: ॥ ३ ॥

caturbhiś caturo vāhān

[chaturbhish chaturo vaahaan]

sūtam ekena cāhanat

[sootam ekena chaahanat]

dvābhyaṁ dhanuś ca ketuṁ ca

[dvaabhyam dhanush cha ketum cha]

śareṇānyena vai śiraḥ

[sharenaanyena vai shirah]

Word-for-word

caturbhiḥ — with four (arrows) caturaḥ — four vāhān — carriers sūtam — the driver ekena — with one ca — and ahanat — He struck dvābhyām — with two dhanuḥ — the bow ca — and ketum — the flag ca — and śareṇa — with an arrow anyena — another vai — indeed śiraḥ — the head .

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

caturbhiś caturo vāhān

caturbhiḥ

with four (arrows)

caturaḥ

four

vāhān

carriers

sūtam ekena cāhanat

sūtam

the driver

ekena

with one

and

ahanat

He struck

dvābhyaṁ dhanuś ca ketuṁ ca

dvābhyām

with two

dhanuḥ

the bow

and

ketum

the flag

and

śareṇānyena vai śiraḥ

śareṇa

with an arrow

anyena

another

vai

indeed

śiraḥ

the head .

Important Words

caturbhiḥ — with four
Instrumental plural of catur. The fourfold arrow-strike against the four horses — Gauḍīya commentators often read such enumerations as the dismantling of the four-fold mind (manas, buddhi, ahaṅkāra, citta) when bhakti reasserts itself.
ketum — flag
The chariot's banner — the public emblem of a warrior's identity. To shoot down the ketu is to remove the enemy's claim to status before removing his life; māyā's first defeat is always the shattering of its banner of self-importance.
śiraḥ — head
From the root meaning that which is highest. The decisive shaft lands on the seat of false thought — a recurring Bhāgavatam motif, from Hiraṇyakaśipu to Vṛtra to Śālva, that the Lord's weapon ultimately severs the head, the locus of avidyā.

With four of these arrows He struck Dyumān’s four horses, with one arrow, his driver, with two more arrows, his bow and chariot flag, and with the last arrow, Dyumān’s head.

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

With four of these arrows He struck Dyumān's four horses, with one arrow, his driver, with two more arrows, his bow and chariot flag, and with the last arrow, Dyumān's head.

Commentary

This verse describes how he dispensed the eight arrows.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

The word vai indicates everything including his head. The words ca indicate that he struck simultaneously the various targets.

Related values & verses

Related values

Adambhitva (Non-hypocrisy / Authenticity)Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Tejas (Inner Radiance / Vigour)Discriminative Wisdom

Concepts

Jiva

Related lectures

SDAP SB 10-77-03-09 - 2017-09-18 Tallinn Estonia
His Grace Sankarshan Prabhu· 2017-09-18· English

Personal Guidance

Pradyumna's arrows hit Dyumān's horses, driver, bow, flag, and finally his head — each in calibrated count. Real skill addresses the whole structure of the opponent, not just the visible person.

Reflection Questions

When facing opposition, do I address only the surface or the supporting structure?
What 'horses and flag' in my situation need attention?

Analogy

Four arrows for the four horses, one for the driver, two for bow and flag, one for the head — eight shafts, eight precise dismantlings. The Lord's servant takes apart the structure of opposition piece by piece, not in a single explosion but in clean, ordered cuts.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io