Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.15.23
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
-
ati-vīryaḥ
—
very powerful
ati (extremely) + vīrya (potency, valor). Gauḍīya: vīrya is one of the six opulences of Bhagavān; here it has been counterfeited by a demon. Demons are not weak — that is precisely what makes their defeat by Kṛṣṇa's līlā meaningful.
-
asuraḥ
—
a demon
a-sura — non-deva, opposed to the gods. Gauḍīya: asura is not a species — it is a disposition. Anyone, including a brāhmaṇa or a king, who opposes Bhagavān is an asura. Daitya-body is karma-marked outer form.
-
khara-rūpa
—
the form of an ass
khara (ass, donkey) + rūpa (form). Gauḍīya note: form follows tendency. The ass-form fits Dhenuka's nature — stubbornness, obstruction, ugly bray. Bodies in saṁsāra are sculpted by inner state.
-
ātma-tulya balaiḥ
—
equal to himself in strength
ātma (self) + tulya (equal) + bala (strength). His company is as strong as he. Gauḍīya: demons gather their own — a-sat-saṅga creates an army; sat-saṅga creates a saṅkīrtana-maṇḍala. Two different gravitational fields.
-
jñātibhiḥ
—
companions
Plural of jñāti — kinsman, relative. Gauḍīya: in Vedic society, jñāti meant fellow-clansman; for asuras, kinship is by shared opposition. Both worlds organize themselves around their core principle.
They encourage Kṛṣṇa in two verses by saying that no one can eat the fruit because of fear of the demon. He is very strong (ati-vīryaḥ). They call out to Balarāma and describe the demon as very strong, to produce hatred in him for the demon. They called to Kṛṣṇa, telling him it is a donkey, in order to make Kṛṣṇa, the crest jewel of fun, laugh. Taking the two words together, he is a strong donkey, who cannot be killed by anyone. The demon is surrounded by relatives, who will help him.
They encourage Kṛṣṇa in two verses by saying that no one can eat the fruit because of fear of the demon. He is very strong (ati-vīryaḥ). They call out to Balarāma and describe the demon as very strong, to produce hatred in him for the demon. They call to Kṛṣṇa, telling him it is a donkey, in order to make Kṛṣṇa, the crest jewel of fun, laugh. Or they describe to both of them that he is a very powerful demon in the form of a donkey. Therefore they cannot disregard him. He is surrounded by relatives and friends (anyaiḥ). Or by mention of others, the cowherds hope to remove the two boys’ indifference to going.
A pack of strong jackals guards one orchard; their leader is the worst of them. The cowherd boys describe Dhenuka as having many friends of equal strength — making the kill harder than a one-demon job. The verse warns Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma: this is not a simple confrontation, it is a full battle. The līlā is being upgraded.
My note
Source: vedabase.io