pradyumnaá¹ gadayÄ sÄ«rṇa-
vaká¹£aḥ-sthalam ariá¹-damam
apovÄha raṇÄt sÅ«to
dharma-vid dÄrukÄtmajaḥ
pradyumnam - Pradyumna; gadayÄ - by the club; śīrṇa - shattered; vaká¹£aḥ-sthalam - whose chest; arim - of enemies; damam - the subduer; apovÄha - removed; raṇÄt - from the battlefield; sÅ«taḥ - His chariot driver; dharma - of his religious duty; vit - the expert knower; dÄruka-Ätmajaḥ - the son of DÄruka (Lord Kṛṣṇa's driver).
Pradyumna’s driver, the son of DÄruka, thought that his valiant master’s chest had been shattered by the club. Knowing well his religious duty, he removed Pradyumna from the battlefield.
ÅšrÄ«la ViÅ›vanÄtha CakravartÄ« explains that actually Lord Pradyumna has a sac-cid-Änanda body, an eternal, spiritual form that can never be wounded by mundane weapons. DÄruka’s son, however, was a great devotee of the Lord, and out of intense love he feared for the safety of his master and thus removed Him from the battlefield.
ÅšrÄ«la PrabhupÄda writes: “The name of ÅšÄlva’s commander-in-chief was DyumÄn. He was very powerful, and although bitten by twenty-five of Pradyumna’s arrows, he suddenly attacked Pradyumna with his fierce club and struck Him so strongly that Pradyumna became unconscious. Immediately there was a roaring, ‘Now He is dead! Now He is dead!’ The force of the club on Pradyumna’s chest was very severe, enough to tear asunder the chest of an ordinary man.â€
