Shloka 88

वंशानुवर्णनम् — सात्वतवंशः, स्यमन्तक-प्रसङ्गः, कृष्णावतारः, शिवप्रसादः (पाशुपतयोगः)

Devanagari script

बलभद्रो ऽपि संत्यज्य नागो भूत्वा जगाम च महिष्यस्तस्य कृष्णस्य रुक्मिणीप्रमुखाः शुभाः

Transliteration

balabhadro 'pi saṃtyajya nāgo bhūtvā jagāma ca mahiṣyastasya kṛṣṇasya rukmiṇīpramukhāḥ śubhāḥ

Translation

Even Balabhadra, casting off his body, departed after becoming a serpent. And the auspicious queens of that Kṛṣṇa—foremost among them Rukmiṇī—also left the mortal state. In the Śaiva vision, such departures mark the loosening of pāśa (bondage) when the destined form is relinquished, while Pati alone remains the unwavering ground of all transformations.

Word by Word

• बलभद्रः: Balabhadra (Balarama)

• अपि: also

• संत्यज्य: having abandoned (the body)

• नागः: a serpent

• भूत्वा: having become

• जगाम: went/departed

• च: and

• महिष्यः: queens/royal consorts

• तस्य: of that

• कृष्णस्य: of Krishna

• रुक्मिणी-प्रमुखाः: headed by Rukmiṇī

• शुभाः: auspicious, blessed

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Balabhadra
• Krishna
• Rukmini

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It highlights impermanence of embodied status—even exalted figures relinquish forms—supporting Linga worship as devotion to the changeless Pati (Śiva) beyond birth and death.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By implication, it contrasts changing forms (nāga-form, queens departing) with the Shaiva Siddhanta view that Śiva-tattva is the stable, unconditioned Lord (Pati) before whom all pashus undergo transformation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse chiefly underscores vairāgya (detachment) and deha-tyāga as a culmination; as a yogic takeaway, it aligns with Pāśupata discipline of non-attachment that weakens pāśa (bondage).