श्रीब्राह्मण उवाच सङ्कर्षणो वासुदेव: प्रद्युम्नो धन्विनां वर: । अनिरुद्धोऽप्रतिरथो न त्रातुं शक्नुवन्ति यत् ॥ ३० ॥ तत् कथं नु भवान् कर्म दुष्करं जगदीश्वरै: । त्वं चिकीर्षसि बालिश्यात् तन्न श्रद्दध्महे वयम् ॥ ३१ ॥
śrī-brāhmaṇa uvāca saṅkarṣaṇo vāsudevaḥ pradyumno dhanvināṁ varaḥ aniruddho ’prati-ratho na trātuṁ śaknuvanti yat tat kathaṁ nu bhavān karma duṣkaraṁ jagad-īśvaraiḥ tvaṁ cikīrṣasi bāliśyāt tan na śraddadhmahe vayam
- śrī-brāhmaṇaḥ uvāca
- the brāhmaṇa said
- saṅkarṣaṇaḥ
- Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa (Balarāma)
- vāsudevaḥ
- Lord Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)
- pradyumnaḥ
- Pradyumna
- dhanvinām
- of bowmen
- varaḥ
- the greatest
- aniruddhaḥ
- Aniruddha
- aprati-rathaḥ
- unrivaled as a chariot fighter
- na
- not
- trātum
- to save
- śaknuvanti
- were able
- yat
- inasmuch
- tat
- thus
- katham
- why
- nu
- indeed
- bhavān
- you
- karma
- feat
- duṣkaram
- impossible to be performed
- jagat
- of the universe
- īśvaraiḥ
- by the Lords
- tvam
- you
- cikīrṣasi
- intend to do
- bāliśyāt
- out of naivete
- tat
- therefore
- na śraddadhmahe
- do not believe
- vayam
- we
The brāhmaṇa said: Neither Saṅkarṣaṇa; Vāsudeva; Pradyumna, the best of bowmen; nor the unequaled warrior Aniruddha could save my sons. Then why do you naively attempt a feat that the almighty Lords of the universe could not perform? We cannot take you seriously.