Shloka 38

The Manifestation of Viṣṇu’s Footprints: Vāmana–Trivikrama, Bāṣkali’s Subjugation, and the Rise of Viṣṇupadī

Gaṅgā

Devanagari script

हृतं राज्यं बाष्कलिना त्रैलोक्यं सचराचरम् । भृत्यस्य क्रियतां साह्यं मंत्रदानेन केशव

Transliteration

hṛtaṃ rājyaṃ bāṣkalinā trailokyaṃ sacarācaram | bhṛtyasya kriyatāṃ sāhyaṃ maṃtradānena keśava

Translation

“বাষ্কলি আমার রাজ্য—চরাচরসহ সমগ্র ত্রিলোক—হরণ করেছে। হে কেশব, মন্ত্র দান করে আপনার ভৃত্যকে সাহায্য করুন।”

Word by Word

• hṛtam: taken, seized
• hṛtam: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hṛ (धातु) → hṛta (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (N), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• rājyam: kingdom
• rājyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (N), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• bāṣkalinā: by Bāṣkalin
• bāṣkalinā: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāṣkalin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (M), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• trailokyam: the three worlds
• trailokyam: Karma (Object/apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (N), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); द्विगु-समास: 'त्रयः लोकाः'

• sa-carācaram: with the moving and unmoving (beings)
• sa-carācaram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग/सह) + cara (प्रातिपदिक) + acara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (N), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (cara+acara) with सह (sa-)

• bhṛtyasya: of the servant
• bhṛtyasya: Sambandha (Beneficiary relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (M), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• kriyatām: let (it) be done
• kriyatām: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive imperative: 'let it be done')

• sāhyam: help, assistance
• sāhyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (N), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• maṃtra-dānena: by giving a mantra
• maṃtra-dānena: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (N), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'मन्त्रस्य दानम्'

• keśava: O Keśava
• keśava: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (M), सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified devotee/king addressing Vishnu (Keśava) in supplication (context not provided in input).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: vira

Geographic Context

Type: celestial_realm

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: सचराचरम् = sa + cara + acara (dvandva); मंत्रदानेन = mantra + dānena (tatpuruṣa).

Characters & Entities

• Keśava (Vishnu)
• Bāṣkali

FAQs

What is the central request made to Keśava in this verse?

The speaker asks Keśava (Vishnu) to help him by granting a mantra (mantradāna), implying spiritual power and divine protection as the means to overcome loss and oppression.

Why does the verse mention “the three worlds, with the moving and unmoving” (trailokyaṃ sacarācaram)?

It intensifies the scale of the calamity: the loss is portrayed not merely as a personal kingdom but as a cosmic dispossession, underscoring the urgency of divine intervention.

What ethical or devotional lesson does this shloka suggest?

It models śaraṇāgati (taking refuge): when worldly power is lost, the devotee turns to God with humility (“your servant”) and seeks righteous, spiritual means—mantra and grace—rather than mere force.