SB 10.36.8 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.36.8

ఇత్యాస్ఫోత్యాచ్యుతోఽరిష్టం తలశబ్దేన కోపయన్ । సఖ్యురంసే భుజాభోగం ప్రసార్యావస్థితో హరి: ॥ ౮ ॥

ity āsphotyācyuto ’riṣṭaṁ

[ity aasphotyaachyuto ’rishtam]

tala-śabdena kopayan

[tala-shabdena kopayan]

sakhyur aṁse bhujābhogaṁ

[sakhyur amse bhujaabhogam]

prasāryāvasthito hariḥ

[prasaaryaavasthito harih]

Word-for-word

iti — speaking thus āsphotya — slapping His arms acyutaḥ — the infallible Lord ariṣṭam — Ariṣṭāsura tala — from His palms śabdena — with the sound kopayan — angering sakhyuḥ — of a friend aṁse — over the shoulder bhuja — His arm ābhogam — (which is like) a serpent’s body prasārya — throwing avasthitaḥ — was standing hariḥ — Lord Hari .

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

ity āsphotyācyuto ’riṣṭaṁ

iti

speaking thus

āsphotya

slapping His arms

acyutaḥ

the infallible Lord

tala-śabdena kopayan

sakhyur aṁse bhujābhogaṁ

prasāryāvasthito hariḥ

ariṣṭam

Ariṣṭāsura

tala

from His palms

śabdena

with the sound

kopayan

angering

sakhyuḥ

of a friend

aṁse

over the shoulder

bhuja

His arm

ābhogam

(which is like) a serpent’s body

prasārya

throwing

avasthitaḥ

was standing

hariḥ

Lord Hari .

Important Words

āsphotya — slapping (His arms)
Tala-śabda, the wrestler's challenge-slap. Kṛṣṇa adopts the warrior-idiom of the akhāḍā — a foretaste of the Mathurā wrestling match that the rest of this chapter sets up.
acyutaḥ — the infallible one
A (not) + cyuta (fallen). One of Kṛṣṇa's foundational names — never fallen from His position, never failing His devotees. Used here exactly when He demonstrates that He cannot be moved.
sakhyuḥ — of a friend
Sakhā — the cowherd boys. Sakhya-rasa is named in the very moment of combat. Vraja's emotional grammar is preserved across every kind of action.
bhuja — arm
Bhuja-ābhogam prasārya — stretching out the arm-coil. The arm is described almost as a separate creature (serpentine, vast), an emblem of the Lord's playful display of His own form.
hariḥ — Lord Hari
Hari — the one who takes away (sins, fears, demons). The name is used in moments of removal; here, Ariṣṭa's life is what is about to be taken.

Having spoken these words, the infallible Lord Hari slapped His arms with His palms, further angering Ariṣṭa with the loud sound. The Lord then casually threw His mighty, serpentine arm over the shoulder of a friend and stood facing the demon.

Purport

Lord Kṛṣṇa showed His contempt for the ignorant demon.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

Commentary

Krsna challenged the bull by slapping his right palm on the base of his left arm arm, making a sound, as a show of courage. By placing his snake-like arm on Subala’s shoulder (ams) he showed his contempt for the demon.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

Kṛṣṇa put his arm on the shoulder of his friend Śrīdāmā, showing disrespect to the demon. His arm was like a snake because of its roundness and thickness. Kṛṣṇa is called acyutaḥ since he did move from that spot. Hari-vaṁśa says tasmāt sthānān na vyacalat kṛṣṇo girir ivācalaḥ: Kṛṣṇa did not move from the spot, being as immovable as a mountain. Viṣṇu Purāṇa says na cacāla tataḥ sthānād avajṣāsmita līlayā: he did not move from the spot and smiled with disrespect in a casual manner. In this situation, Kṛṣṇa was very attractive (hariḥ).

Related values & verses

Related values

Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Udyama (Industriousness / Effort)

Personal Guidance

Analogy

He slaps His arms and rests one of them on a friend's shoulder. The casual sakhya-gesture in the middle of a fight is itself the doctrine: Kṛṣṇa never leaves His sakhā-bhāva even when killing a demon. His arm on Śrīdāmā's shoulder is more central to the scene than the bull is.

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Source: vedabase.io