Verse 1.3.21-23

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 1.3.21-23:

स्व-बाहु-बल-दृप्तस्य साधूपद्रव-कारिणः ।
माया-बद्धानिरुद्धस्य युध्यमानस्य चक्रिणा ॥ २१ ॥
हत-प्रायस्य बाणस्य निज-भक्तस्य पुत्रवत् ।
पालितस्य त्वया प्राण-रक्षार्थं श्री-हरिः स्तुतः ॥ २२ ॥
सद्यो हित्वा रुषं प्रीतो दत्त्वा निज-स्वरूपताम् ।
भवत्-पार्षदतां निन्ये तं दुरापां सुरैर् अपि ॥ २३ ॥

sva-bāhu-bala-dṛptasya sādhūpadrava-kāriṇaḥ |
māyā-baddhāniruddhasya yudhyamānasya cakriṇā || 21 ||
hata-prāyasya bāṇasya nija-bhaktasya putravat |
pālitasya tvayā prāṇa-rakṣārthaṃ śrī-hariḥ stutaḥ || 22 ||
sadyo hitvā ruṣaṃ prīto dattvā nija-svarūpatām |
bhavat-pārṣadatāṃ ninye taṃ durāpāṃ surair api || 23 ||

When Bāṇāsura, puffed up with pride by his many powerful arms, started troubling the sādhus and captured Śrī Aniruddha in his illusory trap, then Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa fought with him and in that battle, Bāṇāsura nearly lost his life.

You had nurtured Bāṇāsura like a son, before he was your devotee. Therefore, at that time, you glorified Śrī Kṛṣṇa to protect his life. Pleased by your glorification, Śrī Kṛṣṇa abandoned His anger at once and granted that devotee sārūpya, a similar liberated form, that is, He made him an eternal associate with a destination rare even for the demigods.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)

There are many examples that Śrī Kṛṣṇa does not accept any of your apparent offenses. This is explanatory in the three verses beginning with sva-bāhu (his arms). Only for the aim of rescuing Bāṇāsura’s life, you offered prayers to Śrī Hari. Nonetheless, Śrī Hari, being pleased with your prayers, offered that archenemy of the saints (sādhu-drohī), Bāṇāsura, a position as your eternal associate (pārṣada). Cakriṇā means, “Śrī Hari who is eager to fight with the Sudarśana cakra in hand.”

In other words, Bāṇāsura would behave maliciously toward the sādhus, thus ensnaring and ending his own life in that war. Only to spare the life of Bāṇāsura, who was your devotee, nurtured like your own sibling, you praised Śrī Hari. Pacified by your glorification, Śrī Hari abandoned His anger and granted him sārūpya, namely, a fourarmed form as your eternal associate.

For example, Bhagavān spoke to Śrī Rudra in the Tenth Canto (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.63.49):

चत्वारो’स्य भुजाः शिष्ता भविष्यत्य् अजरामरः
पार्षद-मुख्यो भवतो न कुतश्चिद्-भयो’सुरः

catvāro’sya bhujāḥ śiṣtā bhaviṣyaty ajarāmaraḥ
pārṣada-mukhyo bhavato na kutaścid-bhayo’suraḥ

“Only four of Bāṇāsura’s one thousand arms will remain. This demoniac person later will become one of My eternal, ageless associates and will thus fear no one.”