FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.27.16

स सप्तभि: शतैरेको विंशत्या च शतं समा: । पुरञ्जनपुराध्यक्षो गन्धर्वैर्युयुधे बली ॥ १६ ॥
sa saptabhiḥ śatair eko
[sa saptabhih shatair eko]
viṁśatyā ca śataṁ samāḥ
[vimshatyaa cha shatam samaah]
purañjana-purādhyakṣo
[puranjana-puraadhyaksho]
gandharvair yuyudhe balī
[gandharvair yuyudhe balee]
saḥ — he saptabhiḥ — with seven śataiḥ — hundred ekaḥ — alone viṁśatyā — with twenty ca — also śatam — hundred samāḥ — years purañjana — of King Purañjana pura-adhyakṣaḥ — superintendent of the city gandharvaiḥ — with the Gandharvas yuyudhe — fought balī — very valiant.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sa saptabhiḥ śatair eko
saḥ
he
saptabhiḥ
with seven
śataiḥ
hundred
ekaḥ
alone
viṁśatyā ca śataṁ samāḥ
viṁśatyā
with twenty
ca
also
śatam
hundred
samāḥ
years
purañjana-purādhyakṣo
purañjana
of King Purañjana
pura-adhyakṣaḥ
superintendent of the city
gandharvair yuyudhe balī
gandharvaiḥ
with the Gandharvas
yuyudhe
fought
balī
very valiant.
The five-hooded serpent, the superintendent and protector of the city of King Purañjana, fought with the Gandharvas for one hundred years. He fought alone, with all of them, although they numbered 720.

The 360 days and 360 nights combine to become the 720 soldiers of Caṇḍavega (time). One has to fight these soldiers throughout one’s life span, beginning with birth and ending with death. This fight is called the struggle for existence. Despite this struggle, however, the living entity does not die. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (2.20) , the living entity is eternal:

na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre

“For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.” Actually the living entity does not take birth nor does he die, but he has to fight with the stringent laws of material nature throughout the entire span of his lifetime. He must also face different kinds of miserable conditions. Despite all this, the living entity, due to illusion, thinks that he is well situated in sense gratification.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The five-hooded serpent, the superintendent of the city of King Purañjana, actually fought alone with the 720 Gandharvas for one hundred years. The battle between the Gandharvas and the guard actually began from birth. For 720 days and nights each year, they fought. The lifespan is one hundred years.
The five-hooded serpent fought the 720 Gandharvas alone for 100 years. The vital force is heroic but outnumbered; 100 years is the maximum it can hold.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I taking the vital force's persistence for granted as if it were unlimited?
  • What changes if I'm honest that 100 years is the most this defender can hold?
📝 My note

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