Verse Text
suhṛd eva pratibhaṭo vīre kṛṣṇasya na tv ariḥ |
sa bhakta-kṣobha-kāritvād raudre tv ālambano rase |
rāgābhāvo dṛg-ādīnāṁ raudrād asya vibhedakaḥ ||24||
Translation
In vīra-bhakti-rasa the friends are the opponents of Kṛṣṇa. They are not the opponents of enemies. When there is an enemy giving agitation to the devotee, the devotee becomes the ālambana of raudra-rasa. In raudra-rasa the eyes become red etc. This is absent in vīra-rasa. This is the difference between vīra and raudra-rasa.
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
In these chivalrous activities, only Kṛṣṇa’s friends can be the opponents. Kṛṣṇa’s enemies can never actually be His opponents. Therefore, this challenging by Kṛṣṇa’s friends is called devotional service in chivalrous activities.