SB 10.59.16 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.59.16

తద్ భౌమసైన్యం భగవాన్ గదాగ్రజో విచిత్రవాజైర్నిశితై: శిలీముఖై: । నికృత్తబాహూరుశిరోధ్రవిగ్రహం చకార తర్హ్యేవ హతాశ్వకుఞ్జరమ్ ॥ ౧౬ ॥

tad bhauma-sainyaṁ bhagavān gadāgrajo

[tad bhauma-sainyam bhagavaan gadaagrajo]

vicitra-vājair niśitaiḥ śilīmukhaiḥ

[vichitra-vaajair nishitaih shileemukhaih]

nikṛtta-bāhūru-śirodhra-vigrahaṁ

[nikritta-baahooru-shirodhra-vigraham]

cakāra tarhy eva hatāśva-kuñjaram

[chakaara tarhy eva hataashva-kunjaram]

Word-for-word

tat — that bhauma - sainyam — army of Bhaumāsura bhagavān — the Supreme Lord gadāgrajaḥ — Kṛṣṇa vicitra — variegated vājaiḥ — whose feathers niśitaiḥ — sharp śilīmukhaiḥ — with arrows nikṛtta — cut off bāhu — with arms ūru — thighs śiraḥ - dhra — and necks vigraham — whose bodies cakāra — made tarhi eva — at that same moment hata — killed aśva — the horses kuñjaram — and elephants .

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

tad bhauma-sainyaṁ bhagavān gadāgrajo

tat

that

bhauma - sainyam

army of Bhaumāsura

bhagavān

the Supreme Lord

gadāgrajaḥ

Kṛṣṇa

vicitra-vājair niśitaiḥ śilīmukhaiḥ

vicitra

variegated

vājaiḥ

whose feathers

niśitaiḥ

sharp

śilīmukhaiḥ

with arrows

nikṛtta-bāhūru-śirodhra-vigrahaṁ

nikṛtta

cut off

bāhu

with arms

ūru

thighs

śiraḥ - dhra

and necks

vigraham

whose bodies

cakāra tarhy eva hatāśva-kuñjaram

cakāra

made

tarhi eva

at that same moment

hata

killed

aśva

the horses

kuñjaram

and elephants .

Important Words

gadāgrajaḥ — elder brother of Gada (Kṛṣṇa)
Same epithet as verse 10 — the poet keeps reminding the audience that the warrior is somebody's elder brother. Familial intimacy held inside cosmic action is a Bhāgavata signature.
śilīmukhaiḥ — with arrows (lit. 'whose face is a stone')
Compound: śilī (sharp, stony) + mukha (face/tip). A bee is also called śilīmukha — the same word for the arrow that has a barbed tip and for the bee with a pointed proboscis. Poets love this double-meaning.
vicitra - vājaiḥ — variegated feathers
Compound: vicitra (variegated) + vāja (feathers/fletching). Even the arrows are dressed in many colors — Kṛṣṇa's aesthetic touches everything, including His ordnance.
kuñjaram — elephants
Literal — yet the same word names Gajendra (kuñjara, gaja). The Bhāgavatam's most famous elephant-devotee story (8.2–4) sits in the canonical memory; here, by contrast, the elephants are enemy mounts.

At that moment Lord Gadāgraja shot His sharp arrows at Bhaumāsura’s army. These arrows, displaying variegated feathers, soon reduced that army to a mass of bodies with severed arms, thighs and necks. The Lord similarly killed the opposing horses and elephants.

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

At that moment Lord Gadāgraja shot His sharp arrows at Bhaumāsura's army. These arrows, displaying variegated feathers, soon reduced that army to a mass of bodies with severed arms, thighs and necks. The Lord similarly killed the opposing horses and elephants.

Commentary

Krsna pierced the enemy troops with colorfully feathered arrows (vicitra vaja).

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

“Arrows with variegated feathers” indicates that they went swiftly. Not only did the riders of the horses and elephants die but the horses and elephants also died.

Related values & verses

Related values

Bhakti (Devotion)Tejas (Inner Radiance / Vigour)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)

Concepts

Jiva

Related lectures

Padaseva Pr SB 10-59-16 Oriya
His Grace Padaseva Prabhu· Oriya

Personal Guidance

Analogy

A field of grain mowed by a single sweep — the verse's reduction of an army to severed limbs is mechanical in its rhythm. Kṛṣṇa's arrows have variegated feathers (vicitra-vāja); even the instruments of destruction are beautiful. The chapter insists that aiśvarya does not subtract from mādhurya.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io