SB 10.42.17 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

करेण वामेन सलीलमुद्‌धृतंसज्यं च कृत्वा निमिषेण पश्यताम् नृणां विकृष्य प्रबभञ्ज मध्यतोयथेक्षुदण्डं मदकर्युरुक्रम: ॥ १७ ॥

Verse text

kareṇa vāmena sa-līlam uddhṛtaṁ sajyaṁ ca kṛtvā nimiṣeṇa paśyatām nṛṇāṁ vikṛṣya prababhaṣja madhyato yathekṣu-daṇḍaṁ mada-kary urukramaḥ

Synonyms

kareṇa — with His hand ; vāmena — left ; sa — līlam — playfully ; uddhṛtam — lifted ; sajyam — the stringing ; ca — and ; kṛtvā — doing ; nimiṣeṇa — in the wink of an eye ; paśyatām — as they watched ; nṛṇām — the guards ; vikṛṣya — pulling it taut ; prababhaṣja — He broke it ; madhyataḥ — in the middle ; yathā — as ; ikṣu — of sugarcane ; daṇḍam — a stick ; mada — karī — an excited elephant ; urukramaḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa .

Translation

Easily lifting the bow with His left hand, Lord Urukrama strung it in a fraction of a second as the King’s guards looked on. He then powerfully pulled the string and snapped the bow in half, just as an excited elephant might break a stalk of sugar cane.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Easily lifting the bow with His left hand, Lord Urukrama strung it in a fraction of a second as the King's guards looked on. He then powerfully pulled the string and snapped the bow in half, just as an excited elephant might break a stalk of sugar cane. KB 10.42.17 … in His left hand. After stringing the bow in the presence of the crowd, He drew it and broke it at the middle into two parts, exactly as an elephant breaks sugarcane in the field. Everyone present appreciated Kṛṣṇa’s power.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

In front of the onlookers Krsna broke the bow, as if calling out to them, " O people, your king was worshipping this famous bow. But just by the touch of my hand it has broken, as if eaten away by termites."

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

He took the bow carelessly or without effort in this left hand. The word ca means that without attention he strung and broke the bow. In a moment, he grabbed the bow, strung it and broke it while the angry guards and others such as the wrestlers watched, since it was impossible for them to do. The genitive case is used to show disrespect to them. The phrase can also be read animiṣeṇa paśyatām: while the guards watched with unblinking eyes.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

He took the bow carelessly or without effort in this left hand. The word ca means that without attention he strung and broke the bow. In a moment, he grabbed the bow, strung it and broke it while the angry guards and others such as the wrestlers or people in general watched, since it was impossible for them to do. The genitive case is used to show disrespect to them. Or they watched in amazement. Or they watched with unblinking eyes (animeṣeṇa). The phrase can also be read animiṣeṇa paśyatām: while the guards watched with unblinking eyes. He broke the bow completely in two (prababhuñja) because he had great power (urukraṁaḥ). Ānamyamānaṁ kṛṣṇena prakarṣād uragopamam Dvidhā-bhūtam abhūn madhye dhanur āyoga-bhūṣitam Bending the jewelled bow completely Kṛṣṇa broke it into two pieces and used it as an ornament. Hari-vaṁśa Āyoga-bhūṣitam means decorated with jewels or a string, or worthy of being used by Kaṁsa. He broke it like a mad elephant breaks sugar cane.