SB 10.78.28 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.78.28

एतावदुक्त्वा भगवान् निवृत्तोऽसद्वधादपि । भावित्वात् तं कुशाग्रेण करस्थेनाहनत् प्रभु: ॥ २८ ॥

etāvad uktvā bhagavān

[etaavad uktvaa bhagavaan]

nivṛtto ’sad-vadhād api

[nivritto ’sad-vadhaad api]

bhāvitvāt taṁ kuśāgreṇa

[bhaavitvaat tam kushaagrena]

kara-sthenāhanat prabhuḥ

[kara-sthenaahanat prabhuh]

Word-for-word

etāvat — this much uktvā — saying bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead nivṛttaḥ — stopped asat — the impious vadhāt — from killing api — although bhāvitvāt — because it was inevitable tam — him, Romaharṣaṇa kuśa — of kuśa grass agreṇa — with the tip of a blade kara — in His hand sthena — held ahanat — killed prabhuḥ — the Lord .

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

etāvad uktvā bhagavān

etāvat

this much

uktvā

saying

bhagavān

the Personality of Godhead

nivṛtto ’sad-vadhād api

nivṛttaḥ

stopped

bhāvitvāt taṁ kuśāgreṇa

kara-sthenāhanat prabhuḥ

asat

the impious

vadhāt

from killing

api

although

bhāvitvāt

because it was inevitable

tam

him, Romaharṣaṇa

kuśa

of kuśa grass

agreṇa

with the tip of a blade

kara

in His hand

sthena

held

ahanat

killed

prabhuḥ

the Lord .

Important Words

asat-vadhāt — from killing the impious
Asat (untrue, impious) + vadha (killing). Balarāma is said in other places (SB 10.65, His vow with Pralamba etc.) to have refrained from further killing — but here the bhāvitva (inevitability) of Romaharṣaṇa's death overrides His personal vow.
bhāvitvāt — because it was destined
Bhāvitva = the state of being-going-to-be. A standard Sanskrit philosophical noun for inevitability. Gauḍīyas note: even the Lord respects the unfolding of karma-niyama within His own līlā.
kuśa-agreṇa — with the tip of kuśa grass
Kuśa (sacred sharp grass used in yajña) + agra (tip). The Bhāgavatam underlines the disproportion — sūkṣma instrument, decisive effect. The Lord's daṇḍa is proportional only to His will, not to His tool.
kara-sthena — held in His hand
Kara (hand) + stha (resting). Anything that rests in the Lord's hand is His āyudha. The flute, the cakra, the kuśa — He differentiates them; we should not.
ahanat — He killed
Imperfect of √han. The deed is direct. No agent, no proxy. The Lord Himself executes the daṇḍa, in front of the very sages whose protocol was breached.

[Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued:] Although Lord Balarāma had stopped killing the impious, Romaharṣaṇa’s death was inevitable. Thus, having spoken, the Lord killed him by picking up a blade of kuśa grass and touching him with its tip.

Purport

Śrīla Prabhupāda writes: “Lord Balarāma had avoided taking part in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, and yet because of His position as an incarnation, the reestablishment of religious principles was His prime duty. Considering these points, He killed Romaharṣaṇa Sūta simply by striking him with a kuśa straw, which was nothing but a blade of grass. If someone questions how Lord Balarāma could kill Romaharṣaṇa Sūta simply by striking him with a blade of kuśa grass, the answer is given in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by the use of the word prabhu, ‘master.’ The Lord’s position is always transcendental, and because He is omnipotent He can act as He likes without being obliged to follow the material laws and principles. Thus it was possible for Him to kill Romaharṣaṇa Sūta simply by striking him with a blade of kuśa grass.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

[Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued:] Although Lord Balarāma had stopped killing the impious, Romaharṣaṇa's death was inevitable. Thus, having spoken, the Lord killed him by picking up a blade of kuśa grass and touching him with its tip.

Commentary

Because there was no means of preventing his death (bhavitvat), he killed him with a piece of kusa grass.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

He acted quickly because the sages might forbid killing Romaharṣaṇa. Even though Balarāma had given up killing while he was on pilgrimage, he killed him since his death was inevitable. He killed with a piece of kuśa that he held in his hand while he acted as a brahmacārī while going on pilgrimage. How could touching him with a tip of kuśa kill him? Balarāma was capable of everything (prabhuḥ).

Related values & verses

Related values

Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomAbhaya (Fearlessness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)

Personal Guidance

Balarāma had stopped killing the impious, but Romaharṣaṇa's death was inevitable — He killed him with the tip of a kuśa blade. Sometimes the smallest gesture, when timed by the Lord, accomplishes what huge force could not.

Reflection Questions

What small but precise gesture might finish a long-standing matter in my life?
Where am I straining when a kuśa-blade move would suffice?

Analogy

A blade of kuśa grass — the same grass laid out as the seat of fire-sacrifices — becomes the weapon. The Lord uses no club here, no cakra; the gentlest thing on the yajña-ground takes Romaharṣaṇa's life. The choice of instrument is itself the teaching: even a blade of grass, when held by the Lord, is sufficient daṇḍa.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io