SB 10.50.20 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीशुक उवाच जरासुतस्तावभिसृत्य माधवौ महाबलौघेन बलीयसावृणोत् । ससैन्ययानध्वजवाजिसारथी सूर्यानलौ वायुरिवाभ्ररेणुभि: ॥ २० ॥

Verse text

śrī-śuka uvāca jarā-sutas tāv abhisṛtya mādhavau mahā-balaughena balīyasāvṛnot sa-sainya-yāna-dhvaja-vāji-sārathī sūryānalau vāyur ivābhra-reṇubhiḥ

Synonyms

śrī — śukaḥ uvāca — Śukadeva Gosvāmī said ; jarā — sutaḥ — the son of Jarā ; tau — the two of Them ; abhisṛtya — going up to ; mādhavau — the descendants of Madhu ; mahā — great ; bala — of military prowess ; oghena — with a flood ; balīyasā — powerful ; āvṛṇot — surrounded ; sa — with ; sainya — soldiers ; yāna — chariots ; dhvaja — flags ; vāji — horses ; sārathī — and charioteers ; sūrya — the sun ; analau — and a fire ; vāyuḥ — the wind ; iva — as ; abhra — by clouds ; reṇubhiḥ — and by particles of dust .

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Just as the wind covers the sun with clouds or a fire with dust, the son of Jarā marched toward the two descendants of Madhu and with his huge assemblage of armies surrounded Them and Their soldiers, chariots, flags, horses and charioteers.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Just as the wind covers the sun with clouds or a fire with dust, the son of Jarā marched toward the two descendants of Madhu and with his huge assemblage of armies surrounded Them and Their soldiers, chariots, flags, horses and charioteers. KB 10.50.20 To fight with Kṛṣṇa, Jarāsandha surrounded Him from all sides with great military strength. As the sun appears covered by cloudy air and dust, Kṛṣṇa, the supreme sun, was covered by the military strength of Jarāsandha.

Purport

Ācārya Śrīdhara points out that clouds only seem to cover the sun: the sun remains shining in the vast sky. Nor is the potency of fire affected by a thin covering of dust. Similarly, the “covering” of Jarāsandha’s military strength was only apparent.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

As the wind covers the sun with clouds , or fire with dust, Jarasandha covered the two descendents of the Madhu dynasty (madhavau) with his armies. However, this was just an appearance, just as the nothing can cover the sun.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

He is called the son of Jarā to show that he had superhuman powers given by Jarā after she joined his two halves together. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are called descendents of Madhu to show how they enacted human pastimes. For that reason they were surrounded by Jarāsandha’s troops. The two brothers shone brightly like the sun and fire combined together at the time of pralaya.