SB 8.10.41 • मूल श्लोक

बलिर्महेन्द्रं दशभिस्त्रिभिरैरावतं शरै: । चतुर्भिश्चतुरो वाहानेकेनारोहमार्च्छयत् ॥ ४१ ॥

Transliteration

balir mahendraṁ daśabhis tribhir airāvataṁ śaraiḥ caturbhiś caturo vāhān ekenāroham ārcchayat

Synonyms (Word-for-Word)

baliḥ — Mahārāja Bali; mahā-indram — the King of heaven; daśabhiḥ — with ten; tribhiḥ — with three; airāvatam — Airāvata, carrying Indra; śaraiḥ — by arrows; caturbhiḥ — by four arrows; caturaḥ — the four; vāhān — mounted soldiers; ekena — by one; āroham — the driver of the elephants; ārcchayat — attacked.

Translation

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

Bhaktivedanta Purport

By Śrīla Prabhupāda
The word vāhān 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.