Shloka 22

The Slaying of Śālva and the Destruction of Saubha

Devanagari script

कृष्ण कृष्ण महाबाहो पिता ते पितृवत्सल । बद्ध्वापनीत: शाल्वेन सौनिकेन यथा पशु: ॥ २२ ॥

Transliteration

kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa mahā-bāho pitā te pitṛ-vatsala baddhvāpanītaḥ śālvena saunikena yathā paśuḥ

Translation

[The man said:] “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, mighty-armed One, so devoted and affectionate to Your parents! Śālva has bound Your father and carried him off, like a butcher leading an animal to slaughter.”

Synonyms

• kṛṣṇa: O Krishna
• kṛṣṇa: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular

• kṛṣṇa: O Krishna
• kṛṣṇa: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; repetition for lament

• mahā-bāho: O mighty-armed one
• mahā-bāho: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bāhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; बहुव्रीहि: ‘one whose arms are great’

• pitā: father
• pitā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• te: your
• te: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular; enclitic ‘your’

• pitṛ-vatsala: O father-loving one
• pitṛ-vatsala: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + vatsala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; तत्पुरुष: ‘affectionate to (your) father’

• baddhvā: having bound
• baddhvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bandh (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा) → baddhvā (कृदन्त-अव्यय)
• Form: Absolutive/gerund (क्त्वा), indeclinable; ‘having bound’

• apanītaḥ: carried off/taken away
• apanītaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apa-nī (धातु) + kta (क्त) → apanīta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicate to pitā

• śālvena: by Śālva
• śālvena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śālva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• saunikena: by a butcher
• saunikena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saunika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; apposition to śālvena (‘like a butcher’)

• yathā: as/like
• yathā: Upamāna (उपमान-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Comparative particle (उपमा-वाचक-अव्यय)

• paśuḥ: an animal
• paśuḥ: Upameya (उपमेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paśu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Shalva
• Vasudeva

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about māyā (illusion) in Krishna’s pastimes?

This verse shows how powerful illusion can appear—Śālva’s māyā fabricates distressing news to shake one’s mind—yet Kṛṣṇa remains the master of māyā and ultimately exposes it.

Why was Krishna told that His father was captured by Śālva?

Śālva employed a deceptive display and a false message to unsettle Kṛṣṇa emotionally—targeting His affection for Vasudeva—hoping Kṛṣṇa would act in confusion rather than clear intelligence.

Practical application: how can I avoid being misled by illusion in daily life?

Pause before reacting to fear-based information, verify truth through reliable sources (scripture, sādhus, and sound reasoning), and keep steady devotion—so emotions don’t override discernment.