Srimad Bhagavatam. Canto 8: Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations

Chapter 10: The Battle Between the Demigods and the Demons. Text 41

बलिर्महेन्द्रं दशभिस्त्रिभिरैरावतं शरैः ।
चतुर्भिश्चतुरो वाहानेकेनारोहमार्च्छयत् ॥४१॥

balir mahendraṠdaśabhis
tribhir airÄvataá¹ Å›araiḥ
caturbhiÅ› caturo vÄhÄn
ekenÄroham Ärcchayat

 baliḥ - MahÄrÄja Bali; mahÄ-indram - the King of heaven; daÅ›abhiḥ - with ten; tribhiḥ - with three; airÄvatam - AirÄvata, carrying Indra; Å›araiḥ - by arrows; caturbhiḥ - by four arrows; caturaḥ - the four; vÄhÄn - mounted soldiers; ekena - by one; Äroham - the driver of the elephants; Ärcchayat - attacked.


Text

MahÄrÄja Bali then attacked Indra with ten arrows and attacked AirÄvata, Indra’s carrier elephant, with three arrows. With four arrows he attacked the four horsemen guarding AirÄvata’s legs, and with one arrow he attacked the driver of the elephant.

Purport

The word vÄhÄn refers to the soldiers on horseback who protected the legs of the carrier elephants. According to the system of military arrangement, the legs of the elephant bearing the commander were also protected.