Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.16.9
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
-
śrīvatsa
—
the Śrīvatsa mark
The auspicious curl of hair on Bhagavān's chest, the seat of Lakṣmī. Iconographic signature of Viṣṇu-tattva — even in this Vraja-boy form, the mark of the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha is present.
-
su - kumāra
—
very delicate, tender
Compound: su (very) + kumāra (youthful, tender). Vraja-Kṛṣṇa's body is sukumāra — soft as a flower. The mādhurya-rasa depends on this tenderness; that the same body crushes Kāliya's hoods is the acintya-bhedābheda of His form.
-
smita
—
smiling
He is smiling even as the serpent bites. The Gauḍīya iconography of mandahāsya — the soft smile that wins the gopīs — does not leave the face even at war.
-
aprati - bhayam
—
without fear of anyone
Compound: a (not) + prati (against) + bhayam (fear). Bhagavān is abhaya — the source of fearlessness for surrendered souls and Himself afraid of nothing. The Nāga-patnīs will end the chapter by invoking this very quality (verse 53).
-
kamala - udara - aṅghrim
—
whose feet resemble the whorl of a lotus
Compound assembled from kamala (lotus) + udara (interior, whorl) + aṅghri (foot). The foot-soles bear the cakra, lotus and flag — marks Kāliya will soon see imprinted on his own hood (verse 63).
This verse shows that Krsna, who was actually beautiful, appeared the opposite to the enraged Kaliya. He was shining like a cloud (ghavadatam). Due to playing in the water, his yellow cloth covered his curl of srivatsa hair on his chest. Sri vatsa can also mean marked with the line of Laksimi (sri) on his chest (vatsa). Bhuja here means the body (coils) of the snake, not his arms. Kaliya squeezed Krsna in his coils.
Because he was wicked, Kāliya acted in this way. To show the great offense of Kāliya, Śukadeva, taking the mood of the people of Vraja, laments and describes the beauty of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa was playing in the water because he was without fear of others. This indicates that Kāliya had no intelligence. The word cakṣuḥśravā (snake) literally means he who hears through his eyes. (He had no ears to hear good instruction.) He wrapped Kṛṣṇa in his body which looked like an arm (bhujayā). Thus the snake is called bhoga or bhujaṅga. Here bhujayā means the snake’s coil.
Actually biting Kṛṣṇa in his sensitive points was like kissing his limbs. Gripping Kṛṣṇa in his coils was like embracing Kṛṣṇa’s limbs. He did him in anger or passion (ruṣā), or actually prema, since he was most beautiful. Thus later Kṛṣṇa would show him great mercy. Because he was wicked, Kāliya acted in this way. To show the great offense of Kāliya, Śukadeva, taking the mood of the people of Vraja, laments and describes the beauty of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa was playing in the water because he was without fear of others. This indicates that Kāliya had no intelligence. The word cakṣuḥśravā (snake) literally means he who hears through his eyes. (He had no ears to hear good instruction.) He wrapped Kṛṣṇa in his body which looked like an arm (bhujayā). Thus the snake is called bhoga or bhujaṅga. Here bhujayā means the snake’s coil.
Kāliya sees a soft-bodied boy in yellow silk, a smile on his face, a lotus-mark on his chest — and reads it as vulnerability. The serpent strikes at what looks fragile. This is what envy does: it cannot perceive that the most tender form of Bhagavān is also the most invincible.
My note
Source: vedabase.io