Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.78.9
गदानिर्भिन्नहृदय उद्वमन् रुधिरं मुखात् ।
प्रसार्य केशबाह्वङ्घ्रीन् धरण्यां न्यपतद् व्यसु: ॥ ९ ॥
gadā-nirbhinna-hṛdaya
[gadaa-nirbhinna-hridaya]
udvaman rudhiraṁ mukhāt
[udvaman rudhiram mukhaat]
prasārya keśa-bāhv-aṅghrīn
[prasaarya kesha-baahv-anghreen]
dharaṇyāṁ nyapatad vyasuḥ
[dharanyaam nyapatad vyasuh]
Word-for-word
gadā
—
by the club
nirbhinna
—
broken to pieces
hṛdayaḥ
—
his heart
udvaman
—
vomiting
rudhiram
—
blood
mukhāt
—
from his mouth
prasārya
—
thrusting outward
keśa
—
his hair
bāhu
—
arms
aṅghrīn
—
and legs
dharaṇyām
—
on the ground
nyapatat
—
he fell
vyasuḥ
—
lifeless .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
gadā-nirbhinna-hṛdaya
gadā
by the club
nirbhinna
broken to pieces
hṛdayaḥ
his heart
udvaman rudhiraṁ mukhāt
udvaman
vomiting
rudhiram
blood
mukhāt
from his mouth
prasārya keśa-bāhv-aṅghrīn
prasārya
thrusting outward
keśa
his hair
bāhu
arms
aṅghrīn
and legs
dharaṇyāṁ nyapatad vyasuḥ
dharaṇyām
on the ground
nyapatat
he fell
vyasuḥ
lifeless .
Important Words
-
nirbhinna-hṛdayaḥ
—
his heart split open
Nir- (out) + √bhid (to split) + hṛdaya (heart). Gauḍīyas note: the hṛdaya is where Paramātmā dwells. By splitting it, Kṛṣṇa enters in the most direct possible way — through the wound.
-
udvaman rudhiram
—
vomiting blood
Udvaman (present participle of ud-√vam) + rudhira (blood). The body expels its life-fluid; the jīva expels its body. A double evacuation that clears the path for the jyoti in the next verse.
-
prasārya
—
stretching out
Gerund of pra-√sṛ. His limbs splay involuntarily into the cruciform — a body-position devotees adopt willingly as sāṣṭāṅga-praṇāma. The demon's final posture is the devotee's first one.
-
vyasuḥ
—
lifeless
Vi- (without) + asu (vital breath). The prāṇas leave. In the next verse what leaves the body is no mere prāṇa but a jyoti — confirming that what departs Dantavakra is not just life but the long-cursed soul of a gatekeeper.
His heart shattered by the club’s blow, Dantavakra vomited blood and fell lifeless to the ground, his hair disheveled and his arms and legs sprawling.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
His heart shattered by the club's blow, Dantavakra vomited blood and fell lifeless to the ground, his hair disheveled and his arms and legs sprawling.
Jīva Gosvāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
The phrase keśa-bāhv-aṅghrīn in the plural instead of the singular is poetic license. Instead of gadā sometimes gāḍha is seen.
Śrīdhara Svāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
His chest was split completely (nirbhinna-hṛdayaḥ). He vomited plenty of blood and spread his arms and legs. He then fell down flat (nyapatat) on the ground.
Related values & verses
Related values
Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomAbhaya (Fearlessness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Saurya (Heroism / Bravery)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)
Related verses
Personal Guidance
His heart shattered, Dantavakra vomited blood and fell with hair disheveled and limbs sprawling. Decisive Lord-action ends quickly what could have dragged on; mercy is also in the speed.
Reflection Questions
- Where would decisive action end suffering that I am letting drag on?
- What helps me move quickly when slowness becomes its own cruelty?
Analogy
Dantavakra falls with arms and legs flung wide, his hair undone — the body's last gesture is involuntary surrender, the daṇḍavat he refused to offer in life. The Lord receives the prostration anyway. Even the demon's death-pose is anjali to the One who killed him.
My note
Source: vedabase.io