Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 30
Ūṣā-Haraṇa, Bāṇāsura’s Pride, and Aniruddha’s Capture
Prelude to Hari–Śaṅkara Conflict
कामात्मजं तं भुवनैकसुन्दरं श्यामं पिशङ्गाम्बरमम्बुजेक्षणम् । बृहद्भुजं कुण्डलकुन्तलत्विषा स्मितावलोकेन च मण्डिताननम् ॥ २९ ॥ दीव्यन्तमक्षै: प्रिययाभिनृम्णया तदङ्गसङ्गस्तनकुङ्कुमस्रजम् । बाह्वोर्दधानं मधुमल्लिकाश्रितां तस्याग्र आसीनमवेक्ष्य विस्मित: ॥ ३० ॥
kāmātmajaṁ taṁ bhuvanaika-sundaraṁ śyāmaṁ piśaṅgāmbaram ambujekṣaṇam bṛhad-bhujaṁ kuṇḍala-kuntala-tviṣā smitāvalokena ca maṇḍitānanam
He saw Aniruddha seated before his most auspicious beloved, playing dice with her. Between his arms hung a garland of spring jasmine, stained with kuṅkuma from her breasts when he had embraced her. Seeing all this, Bāṇāsura was astonished.
Bāṇāsura was amazed at Aniruddha’s boldness: the prince was calmly sitting in the young girl’s quarters, playing with Bāṇa’s supposedly unmarried daughter! In the context of the strict Vedic culture, this was an unbelievable thing to witness.
FAQs
This verse describes Aniruddha, who is poetically called 'Kāmātmaja'—so enchanting that he resembles the very offspring of Cupid.
In the Uṣā–Aniruddha narrative, the detailed description highlights the divine, auspicious qualities of the Yadu prince and sets the devotional mood of the pastime.
The verse trains the mind to contemplate divine qualities—beauty, gentleness, and auspiciousness—redirecting attraction from fleeting objects toward sacred remembrance.