SB 10.18.27 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

निरीक्ष्य तद्वपुरलमम्बरे चरत् प्रदीप्तद‍ृग् भ्रुकुटितटोग्रदंष्ट्रकम् । ज्वलच्छिखं कटककिरीटकुण्डल- त्विषाद्भ‍ुतं हलधर ईषदत्रसत् ॥ २७ ॥

Verse text

nirīkṣya tad-vapur alam ambare carat pradīpta-dṛg bhru-kuṭi-taṭogra-daṁṣṭrakam jvalac-chikhaṁ kaṭaka-kirīṭa-kuṇḍala- tviṣādbhutaṁ haladhara īṣad atrasat

Synonyms

nirīkṣya — seeing ; tat — of Pralambāsura ; vapuḥ — the body ; alam — quickly ; ambare — in the sky ; carat — moving ; pradīpta — blazing ; dṛk — his eyes ; bhru — kuṭi — of his frown upon his eyebrows ; taṭa — on the edge ; ugra — terrible ; daṁṣṭrakam — his teeth ; jvalat — fiery ; śikham — hair ; kaṭaka — of his armlets ; kirīṭa — crown ; kuṇḍala — and earrings ; tviṣā — by the effulgence ; adbhutam — astonishing ; hala — dharaḥ — Lord Balarāma, the carrier of the plow weapon ; īṣat — a little ; atrasat — became frightened .

Translation

When Lord Balarāma, who carries the plow weapon, saw the gigantic body of the demon as he moved swiftly in the sky — with his blazing eyes, fiery hair, terrible teeth reaching toward his scowling brows, and an amazing effulgence generated by his armlets, crown and earrings — the Lord seemed to become a little frightened.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

When Lord Balarāma, who carries the plow weapon, saw the gigantic body of the demon as he moved swiftly in the sky—with his blazing eyes, fiery hair, terrible teeth reaching toward his scowling brows, and an amazing effulgence generated by his armlets, crown and earrings—the Lord seemed to become a little frightened. KB 10.18.27 Balarāma observed the demon’s body expanding up to the limits of the clouds, his eyes dazzling like blazing fire and his mouth flashing with sharp teeth. At first, Balarāma was surprised by the demon’s appearance, and He began to wonder, “How is it that all of a sudden this carrier has changed in every way?”

Purport

Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī explains Lord Baladeva’s so-called fear as follows: Balarāma was playfully acting out the role of an ordinary cowherd boy, and to maintain the mood of this pastime He appeared slightly disturbed by the horrible demoniac body. Also because the demon had appeared as a cowherd boyfriend of Kṛṣṇa’s and because Kṛṣṇa had accepted him as a friend, Baladeva was slightly apprehensive about killing him. Balarāma could also have been worried that since this cowherd boy was actually a demon in disguise, at that very moment another such demon might have been attacking Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. Thus the omniscient and omnipotent Supreme Lord Balarāma exhibited the pastime of becoming slightly nervous in the presence of the horrible demon Pralamba.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Balarāma appeared frightened since he was absorbed in childhood actions as in previous cases.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

He was amazing because of the glow from his golden ornaments. Or he was unusual in being decorated with glowing ornaments. Balarāma became slightly frightened at his appearance as part of his childhood pastimes. Or seeing the big demon, he became worried about Kṛṣṇa since he should not kill Pralamba, because he had disguised himself as a cowherd. Or he feared for Kṛṣṇa, worrying that there were other demons disguised among his friends.