FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.58.33

న తాం శేకుర్నృపా వోఢుమజిత్వా సప్త గోవృషాన్ । తీక్ష్ణశ‍ృఙ్గాన్ సుదుర్ధర్షాన్ వీర్యగన్ధాసహాన్ ఖలాన్ ॥ ౩౩ ॥
na tāṁ śekur nṛpā voḍhum
[na taam shekur nripaa vodhum]
ajitvā sapta-go-vṛṣān
[ajitvaa sapta-go-vrishaan]
tīkṣṇa-śṛṅgān su-durdharṣān
[teekshna-shringaan su-durdharshaan]
vīrya-gandhāsahān khalān
[veerya-gandhaasahaan khalaan]
na — not tām — her śekuḥ — were able nṛpāḥ — kings voḍhum — to marry ajitvā — without defeating sapta — seven go - vṛṣān — bulls tīkṣṇa — sharp śṛṅgān — whose horns su — very durdharṣān — uncontrollable vīrya — of warriors gandha — the smell asahān — not tolerating khalān — vicious .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
na tāṁ śekur nṛpā voḍhum
na
not
tām
her
śekuḥ
were able
nṛpāḥ
kings
voḍhum
to marry
ajitvā sapta-go-vṛṣān
ajitvā
without defeating
sapta
seven
go - vṛṣān
bulls
tīkṣṇa-śṛṅgān su-durdharṣān
tīkṣṇa
sharp
śṛṅgān
whose horns
su
very
durdharṣān
uncontrollable
vīrya-gandhāsahān khalān
vīrya
of warriors
gandha
the smell
asahān
not tolerating
khalān
vicious .
  • sapta — seven
    The number to remember through the rest of the episode. Seven bulls; seven Kṛṣṇas (verse 45). Gauḍīya: when Bhagavān must answer a sevenfold problem He generates a sevenfold solution; the asymmetry vanishes.
  • go - vṛṣān — bulls
    Compound go (cow) + vṛṣa (bull). Tīrtha-vṛṣa or simply vṛṣa — bulls. Gauḍīya note: Kṛṣṇa is gopāla, master of cows; the bulls of His future father-in-law are kin to His own herd. Subduing them is a family gesture.
  • durdharṣān — unbreakable
    From dur (difficult) + √dharṣ — hard to overpower. The bulls are the visible image of every barrier worldly suitors face. Gauḍīya: difficulty is reserved by Bhagavān for His own showcase.
  • vīrya - gandha - asahān — unable to bear the scent of valour
    Compound — they cannot tolerate the smell of warriors. A near-impossible condition: even a brave smell defeats them. Gauḍīya: the test is rigged against ordinary heroism. Only Bhagavān's līlā-strength will pass.
The kings who came as suitors were not allowed to marry her unless they could subdue seven sharp-horned bulls. These bulls were extremely vicious and uncontrollable, and they could not tolerate even the smell of warriors.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The kings who came as suitors were not allowed to marry her unless they could subdue seven sharp-horned bulls. These bulls were extremely vicious and uncontrollable, and they could not tolerate even the smell of warriors.
Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Thought the father wanted to give his daughter to the Lord, because of fear of rivals like Jarāsandha, he devised a method for her marriage. Go-vṛṣāṇ simply means bulls using two words, or the best (vṛṣān) bulls (go), or the most uncontrollable bulls (vṛṣān) among all the cattle (go). Without tying up (ajitvā) the bulls they could not marry her. The bulls were violent (khalān), having the nature of demons. In the Second Canto these bulls are counted among the demons. (SB 2.7.34) It is stated there that after being killed, by the power of the Lord’s touch, they attained liberation.

Concepts
Jiva

A bride-condition that no king has met is not a barrier but an invitation — held in reserve for the one who will not merely meet it but multiply Himself to meet it. The seven bulls are waiting for the seven Kṛṣṇas.

📝 My note

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