Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 33
The Disappearance of the Yadu Dynasty and Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Departure
मुषलावशेषाय:खण्डकृतेषुर्लुब्धको जरा । मृगास्याकारं तच्चरणं विव्याध मृगशङ्कया ॥ ३३ ॥
muṣalāvaśeṣāyaḥ-khaṇḍa- kṛteṣur lubdhako jarā mṛgāsyākāraṁ tac-caraṇaṁ vivyādha mṛga-śaṅkayā
അപ്പോൾ ജരാ എന്ന വേട്ടക്കാരൻ അവിടെ എത്തി, മൃഗഭ്രമത്തിൽ ഭഗവാന്റെ പാദത്തെ മാൻമുഖമായി കരുതി. ഇരയായി കിട്ടിയെന്നു വിചാരിച്ച്, സാമ്ബന്റെ മുഷലത്തിന്റെ ശേഷിച്ച ഇരുമ്പുതുണ്ടിൽ നിന്നുണ്ടാക്കിയ അമ്പുകൊണ്ട് ആ പാദം കുത്തിവേദിച്ചു.
According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the statement that the arrow “pierced the Lord’s foot” expresses the point of view of the hunter, who thought he had struck a deer. In fact the arrow merely touched the Lord’s lotus foot and did not pierce it, since the Lord’s limbs are composed of eternity, knowledge and bliss. Otherwise, in the description of the next verse (that the hunter became fearful and fell down with his head upon the Lord’s feet), Śukadeva Gosvāmī would have stated that he extracted his arrow from the Lord’s foot.
FAQs
In Bhagavatam 11.30.33, the hunter Jarā mistakes the Lord’s foot—appearing like a deer’s face—for a deer and pierces it with an arrow tipped with a remaining fragment of a club.
He did so out of misidentification (mṛga-śaṅkā): seeing the Lord’s foot resembling a deer, he assumed it was a deer and shot, unaware of the Lord’s identity.
The verse highlights the Lord’s sovereignty: even seemingly accidental events unfold under divine arrangement, reminding devotees to cultivate faith, humility, and remembrance of Krishna beyond external appearances.