SB 4.10.9 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

ते वै ललाटलग्नैस्तैरिषुभि: सर्व एव हि मत्वा निरस्तमात्मानमाशंसन् कर्म तस्य तत् ॥ ९ ॥

Verse text

te vai lalāṭa-lagnais tair iṣubhiḥ sarva eva hi matvā nirastam ātmānam āśaṁsan karma tasya tat

Synonyms

te — they ; vai — certainly ; lalāṭa — lagnaiḥ — intent upon their heads ; taiḥ — by those ; iṣubhiḥ — arrows ; sarve — all of them ; eva — certainly ; hi — without fail ; matvā — thinking ; nirastam — defeated ; ātmānam — themselves ; āśaṁsan — praised ; karma — action ; tasya — of him ; tat — that .

Translation

When the heroes of the Yakṣas saw that all their heads were being thus threatened by Dhruva Mahārāja, they could very easily understand their awkward position, and they concluded that they would certainly be defeated. But, as heroes, they lauded the action of Dhruva.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Shot in the forehead by arrows, they all thought they would be defeated, but praised Dhruva’s action. They praised him in their minds.

Purport

This spirit of fighting in a sporting attitude is very significant in this verse. The Yakṣas were severely attacked. Dhruva Mahārāja was their enemy, but still, upon witnessing the wonderful, heroic acts of Mahārāja Dhruva, they were very pleased with him. This straightforward appreciation of an enemy’s prowess is a characteristic of real kṣatriya spirit.