SB 10.72.37 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

ते वै गदे भुजजवेन निपात्यमाने अन्योन्यतोंऽसकटिपादकरोरुजत्रुम् । चूर्णीबभूवतुरुपेत्य यथार्कशाखे संयुध्यतोर्द्विरदयोरिव दीप्तमन्व्यो: ॥ ३७ ॥

Verse text

te vai gade bhuja-javena nipātyamāne anyonyato ’ṁsa-kaṭi-pāda-karoru-jatrum cūrṇī-babhūvatur upetya yathārka-śākhe saṁyudhyator dviradayor iva dīpta-manvyoḥ

Synonyms

te — they ; vai — indeed ; gade — the two clubs ; bhuja — of their arms ; javena — by the rapid force ; nipātyamāne — being powerfully swung ; anyonyataḥ — against one another ; aṁsa — their shoulders ; kaṭi — hips ; pāda — feet ; kara — hands ; ūru — thighs ; jatrum — and collarbones ; cūrṇī — crushed ; babhūvatuḥ — became ; upetya — contacting ; yathā — as ; arka — śākhe — two branches of arka trees ; saṁyudhyatoḥ — fighting vigorously ; dviradayoḥ — of a pair of elephants ; iva — as ; dīpta — inflamed ; manvyoḥ — whose anger .

Translation

They swung their clubs at each other with such speed and force that as the clubs struck their shoulders, hips, feet, hands, thighs and collarbones, the weapons were crushed and broken like branches of arka trees with which two enraged elephants furiously attack each other.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

They swung their clubs at each other with such speed and force that as the clubs struck their shoulders, hips, feet, hands, thighs and collarbones, the weapons were crushed and broken like branches of arka trees with which two enraged elephants furiously attack each other. KB 10.72.37 When two elephants fight together in a sugarcane field, each of them snatches a stick of sugarcane, holds it tightly in its trunk and strikes the other. At that time the sugarcane becomes smashed by such heavy striking. Similarly, when Bhīmasena and Jarāsandha were heavily striking each other with their clubs on different parts of their bodies—namely the shoulders, arms, collarbone, chest, thighs, waist and legs—their clubs were torn to pieces.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

With their anger increasing (dipta manvoh), when the club contacted the opponent’s shoulder or waist, it broke into pieces.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Though the compound consists of limbs of a living being, the lack of neuter (jatrum) is poetic license. Just as arka trees are crushed they weapons were crushed. The simile is an example of adbhutopama (a comparison causing wonder).

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Two verses are in a longer meter as if to be sung. They describe the fight. Though they were hard as thunderbolts (vai), their clubs constantly (ni) fell and struck (upetya) each other’s various limbs. Not using neuter in jatrum is poetic license. Just as branches are crushed the weapons were crushed. This indicates they were insignificant for the fighters. The comparison is called adbhūtopamā. Or it expresses how they indescribably engaged other for fighting.