Shloka 10

Chapter 54

Devanagari script

शिशुपालं समभ्येत्य हृत-दारम् इवातुरम् ।

नष्ट-त्विषं गतोत्साहं शुष्यद्-वदनम् अब्रुवन् ॥

Transliteration

śiśupālaṃ samabhyetya hṛta-dāram ivāturam / naṣṭa-tviṣaṃ gatotsāhaṃ śuṣyad-vadanam abruvan //

Translation

Approaching Śiśupāla, distressed like a man whose wife has been stolen away, they spoke to him as he stood drained of splendor, bereft of enthusiasm, his face drying in despair.

Synonyms

• शिशुपालम्: Śiśupāla
• शिशुपालम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिशुपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• समभ्येत्य: having approached
• समभ्येत्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), उपसर्ग: सम् + अभि; 'having approached'

• हृत: stolen; taken away
• हृत: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासाङ्ग

• दारम्: whose wife was taken
• दारम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (हृत-दारम्) कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष: हृतः दारः यस्य (whose wife is taken)

• इव: as if; like
• इव: Upamāna-dyotaka (उपमान-द्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक अव्यय (particle of comparison)

• आतुरम्: distressed
• आतुरम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आतुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• नष्ट: lost
• नष्ट: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासाङ्ग

• त्विषम्: whose radiance was gone
• त्विषम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्विष् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (नष्ट-त्विषम्) कर्मधारय: नष्टा त्विष् यस्य (whose splendor is lost)

• गत: gone
• गत: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासाङ्ग

• उत्साहम्: whose spirit was gone
• उत्साहम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्साह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (गतोत्साहम्) कर्मधारय: गतः उत्साहः यस्य (whose enthusiasm is gone)

• शुष्यत्: drying; withering
• शुष्यत्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुष् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासाङ्ग

• वदनम्: with a withering face
• वदनम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (शुष्यद्-वदनम्) कर्मधारय: शुष्यत् वदनं यस्य (whose face is withering)

• अब्रुवन्: they said
• अब्रुवन्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

Purport

The Bhagavatam here paints the psychological aftermath of thwarted pride. Śiśupāla had defined his honor and political identity around possessing Rukmiṇī and defeating Kṛṣṇa; when Kṛṣṇa’s līlā overturns that ambition, Śiśupāla appears ‘hṛta-dāram iva’—like one whose very life-support has been snatched away. The verse emphasizes three symptoms of crushed false ego: naṣṭa-tviṣa (loss of radiance/beauty), gata-utsāha (collapse of drive), and śuṣyat-vadana (a withering face). Those who approach and “speak” to him are the retreating kings or allies, attempting to manage the political and emotional damage. Devotionally, the contrast is instructive: bhakti increases tejas (spiritual radiance) and utsāha (enthusiasm) because it rests on the eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa, not on fragile outcomes. Material attachment, however, makes one hostage to success and public status. Śiśupāla’s condition foreshadows a recurring Bhagavata theme: envy of the Lord leads not to fulfillment but to inner desiccation. For practitioners, the verse invites self-audit—are one’s hopes rooted in service to Kṛṣṇa, or in possession and prestige that can be ‘stolen’ by time and destiny?

Characters & Entities

• Śiśupāla
• Rukmiṇī

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about Śiśupāla’s reaction after Rukmiṇī is taken?

This verse describes Śiśupāla as intensely distressed, losing his luster and enthusiasm, with a withering face—portraying the collapse of pride when Kṛṣṇa’s will prevails.

Why is Śiśupāla compared to a man whose wife has been stolen?

Because his obsession with possessing Rukmiṇī and defeating Kṛṣṇa made the loss feel like a personal, identity-shattering theft, not merely a political setback.

Practical application: how can this verse help in modern life?

It warns that identity built on possession and status leads to inner dryness when outcomes change; grounding life in devotion and dharma preserves steadiness and enthusiasm.