Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.78.3
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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satvaraḥ
—
quickly
Sa- (with) + tvarā (haste). Kṛṣṇa is normally līlā-mayī, leisurely; here He moves at once. Gauḍīya commentators note that the Lord hurries only to protect a devotee or to receive an enemy who has earned His hand.
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avaplutya
—
having jumped down
Gerund of ava-√plu. Kṛṣṇa descends from the chariot to fight on foot — meeting Dantavakra at his level. The aiśvarya-līlā briefly bows to mādhurya: the Lord matches the form of His opponent.
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sindhum velā iva
—
as the shore the ocean
A standard Bhāgavatam upamā for irresistible force meeting immovable calm. Velā (shore, also 'right time') hints that Dantavakra has arrived at his appointed hour.
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pratyadhāt
—
checked / held back
From prati-√dhā, 'to set against, oppose.' Kṛṣṇa does not strike first; He stops. The verb foregrounds restraint — a foretaste of His later self-imposed atonement before sages.
Śrīla Prabhupāda writes: “When Kṛṣṇa appeared before Dantavakra, his heroic march was immediately stopped, just as the great furious waves of the ocean are stopped by the beach.”
Seeing his opponent on foot, Krsna also dismounted from his chariot (avaplutya), stopping Dantavakra as the shore (vela) stops the ocean waves.
Kṛṣṇa jumped from his chariot because according to dharma he should fight with his opponent who was on foot in the same manner. Instead of ādāya sometimes udyamya (took up) is seen.
Seeing Dantavakra approaching with club in hand (tathā), Kṛṣṇa jumped quickly from his chariot since one should fight on foot with an opponent who is on foot, according to kṣatriya principles because Kṛṣṇa was directly bhagavān, who appeared to institute all dharma. Thus when Kṛṣṇa appeared, Dantavakra stopped and could do nothing, just as the shore stops the ocean.
- Where could I be more 'shoreline' and less 'wave' in my responses?
- What helps me hold steady when forces rush at me?
As the shoreline catches the sea and refuses it further passage without ever raising its voice, Kṛṣṇa simply steps down from His chariot and stands. The ocean is loud; the shore is firm. Dantavakra's rage breaks at the line the Lord chooses to draw.
My note
Source: vedabase.io