FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.77.37

तस्मिन् निपतिते पापे सौभे च गदया हते । नेदुर्दुन्दुभयो राजन् दिवि देवगणेरिता: । सखीनामपचितिं कुर्वन्दन्तवक्रो रुषाभ्यगात् ॥ ३७ ॥
tasmin nipatite pāpe
[tasmin nipatite paape]
saubhe ca gadayā hate
[saubhe cha gadayaa hate]
nedur dundubhayo rājan
[nedur dundubhayo raajan]
divi deva-gaṇeritāḥ
[divi deva-ganeritaah]
sakhīnām apacitiṁ kurvan
[sakheenaam apachitim kurvan]
dantavakro ruṣābhyagāt
[dantavakro rushaabhyagaat]
tasmin — he nipatite — having fallen pāpe — sinful saubhe — the Saubha vehicle ca — and gadayā — by the club hate — being destroyed neduḥ — there resounded dundubhayaḥ — kettledrums rājan — O King (Parīkṣit) divi — in the sky deva - gaṇa — by groups of demigods īritāḥ — played sakhīnām — for his friends apacitim — revenge kurvan — intending to carry out dantavakraḥ — Dantavakra rūṣā — angrily abhyagāt — ran forward .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tasmin nipatite pāpe
tasmin
he
nipatite
having fallen
pāpe
sinful
saubhe ca gadayā hate
saubhe
the Saubha vehicle
ca
and
gadayā
by the club
hate
being destroyed
nedur dundubhayo rājan
neduḥ
there resounded
dundubhayaḥ
kettledrums
rājan
O King (Parīkṣit)
divi deva-gaṇeritāḥ
divi
in the sky
deva - gaṇa
by groups of demigods
īritāḥ
played
sakhīnām apacitiṁ kurvan
sakhīnām
for his friends
apacitim
revenge
kurvan
intending to carry out
dantavakro ruṣābhyagāt
dantavakraḥ
Dantavakra
rūṣā
angrily
abhyagāt
ran forward .
  • dundubhayaḥ — kettledrums
    Plural of dundubhi. The devas sound dundubhi at victories of dharma. The same instrument's name appears in Ānakadundubhi (v. 27, Vasudeva's epithet) — Bhāgavatam's quiet ring composition: the chapter that began with drums echoes them at the close.
  • deva-gaṇa-īritāḥ — sounded by the hosts of demigods
    Compound: deva-gaṇa (host of demigods) + īrita (sounded, set in motion). The devas, who could not themselves defeat Śālva (his boon made Saubha invulnerable to gods and asuras), gratefully accompany Bhagavān's victory with drums — the same devas who depend on Kṛṣṇa across the Bhāgavatam.
  • apacitim kurvan — performing requital
    Phrase: apaciti (requital, revenge) + kurvan (doing). Dantavakra's motive is named exactly — vendetta for Śiśupāla and Śālva. Bhāgavatam realism about asura psychology: bonds of mutual hatred run as deep as bonds of bhakti, and demand their own completion.
  • dantavakraḥ — Dantavakra
    Compound name: danta (tooth) + vakra (crooked). The crooked-toothed one. King of Karūṣa, friend of Śiśupāla, and — Gauḍīyas note — in his ultimate identity, Jaya/Vijaya of Vaikuṇṭha, returning home through his third and final asura-death in the next chapter.
With the sinful Śālva now dead and his Saubha airship destroyed, the heavens resounded with kettledrums played by groups of demigods. Then Dantavakra, wanting to avenge the death of his friends, furiously attacked the Lord.

Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Seventy-seventh Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Lord Kṛṣṇa Slays the Demon Śālva.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
With the sinful Śālva now dead and his Saubha airship destroyed, the heavens resounded with kettledrums played by groups of demigods. Then Dantavakra, wanting to avenge the death of his friends, furiously attacked the Lord.
Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Sālva fell down, completely dead (nipatite). His condition could not be reversed. The vehicle was also destroyed. Dantavakra came there to honor Śālva with death rites (apacitam) to return favor of punishing their enemy. He was foolish in doing this since he was angry.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Sālva fell down, completely dead (nipatite). His condition could not be reversed. He attained liberation. The vehicle was also destroyed. The devatās, rejoicing by sounding drums, indicates that they had no worry that Śālva’s sons would attack. O shining king! Śukadeva gives joy to Parīkṣit who was shining (rājan) with joy. Dantavakra came paid his debts (apacitam) to Śiśupāla and others at that time only. This shows his foolishness. He came because he was angry. His anger took away his intelligence. Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Seventy-seventh Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Lord Kṛṣṇa Slays the Demon Śālva." 10.78: The Killing of Dantavakra, Vidūratha and Romaharṣaṇa verses: Summary, 1-2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13-15, 16, 17, 18, 19-20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25-26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31-32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 Chapter Summary This chapter relates how Lord Kṛṣṇa killed Dantavakra and Vidūratha, visited Vṛndāvana, and then returned to Dvārakā. It also describes how Lord Baladeva killed the offensive Romaharṣaṇa Sūta. Intent upon avenging the death of his friend Śālva, Dantavakra appeared on the battlefield with club in hand. Lord Kṛṣṇa took up His own club and came before him. Dantavakra then insulted the Lord with harsh words and struck Him a terrific blow on the head. Without budging in the slightest, Lord Kṛṣṇa bludgeoned Dantavakra's chest, shattering his heart. Dantavakra had a brother named Vidūratha, and he became distraught at Dantavakra's death. Taking up his sword, Vidūratha confronted Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but the Lord cut off Vidūratha's head with His Sudarśana disc. Lord Kṛṣṇa then visited Vṛndāvana for two months, and finally He returned to Dvārakā. When Lord Baladeva heard that the Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas were about to go to war, in order to remain neutral He left Dvārakā on the pretext of going on pilgrimage. The Lord bathed in sacred places such as Prabhāsa, Tritakūpa and Viśāla, and eventually He came to the holy Naimiṣāraṇya forest, where great sages were performing an extended fire sacrifice. While being worshiped by the assembled sages and offered a seat of honor, the Lord noticed that Romaharṣaṇa Sūta, sitting on the speaker's seat, had failed to stand in deference to Him. Greatly angered by this offense, Lord Balarāma killed Romaharṣaṇa by touching him with the tip of a blade of kuśa grass. The assembled sages were disturbed by what Lord Baladeva had done, and they said to Him, "You have unknowingly killed a brāhmaṇa. Therefore, even though You are above the Vedic injunctions, we request You to set a perfect example for the general populace by atoning for this sin." Then Śrī Baladeva, following the Vedic maxim that "one's son takes birth as one's own self," granted to Romaharṣaṇa's son Ugraśravā the position of speaker of the Purāṇas, and in accordance with the sages' desires He promised Ugraśravā a long life with unfailing sensory capacity. Wanting to do something more for the sages, Lord Baladeva promised to kill a demon named Balvala, who had been polluting their sacrificial arena. Finally, on the sages' advice, He agreed to go on a year-long pilgrimage of all the holy places in India.

Related values
Sthitaprajna (Steady Wisdom)Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomAbhaya (Fearlessness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Saurya (Heroism / Bravery)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Ishvara Pranidhana (Surrender to God)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses
Kettledrums of the demigods sounded; then Dantavakra furiously attacked. One opponent down, another rises. The end of one struggle is often the beginning of the next; spiritual life is not a single fight.
Reflection Questions
  • What 'next opponent' have I been bracing against, and what helps me stay rested between rounds?
  • How does the long view of multiple battles shape my stamina?

The sinful Śālva fallen, the Saubha smashed, demigods sound kettledrums in the heavens — and at once Dantavakra, enraged by his friends' deaths, rushes the Lord. One demon's removal does not finish the day; māyā always has another emissary at the gate, friend of the last, charging in even before the dust settles.

Dantavakra and the friends-of-Śiśupāla cycle

Dantavakra is the third of the chief Vidarbha-region asuric kings — Śiśupāla, Śālva, Dantavakra — bound by friendship and shared hatred of Kṛṣṇa. The Bhāgavatam treats them as a triad: Śiśupāla is slain at the Rājasūya (10.74), Śālva here in 10.77, and Dantavakra in the very next chapter (10.78).

Viśvanātha and Sanātana note that all three are in fact Jaya and Vijaya, Vaikuṇṭha gatekeepers, completing their third and last asura-birth under the curse of the four Kumāras. Hence the seeming relentlessness of their enmity — they need the Lord to finish them, three times each in the case of Jaya, to return home.

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