Shloka 42

Devanagari script

ततः स दिग्गजैर् बालो भूभृच्छिखरसंनिभैः पातितो धरणीपृष्ठे विषाणैर् अप्य् अपीड्यत

Transliteration

tataḥ sa diggajair bālo bhūbhṛcchikharasaṃnibhaiḥ pātito dharaṇīpṛṣṭhe viṣāṇair apy apīḍyata

Translation

Then the boy was struck by the Diggajas, vast as mountain peaks; he was hurled onto the earth’s surface and even crushed beneath their tusks.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/अनन्तरवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दिग्गजैः: by the elephants of the quarters
• दिग्गजैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिक् (प्रातिपदिक) + गज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; दिक्-गज (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• बालः: the boy
• बालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भूभृत्शिखरसंनिभैः: (ones) resembling mountain-peaks
• भूभृत्शिखरसंनिभैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूभृत् (प्रातिपदिक) + शिखर (प्रातिपदिक) + संनिभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; भूभृत्-शिखर (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) + संनिभ (उपमानवाचक)

• पातितः: was thrown down
• पातितः: Kriya (Result/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु) + णिच् (causative) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थकः ‘caused to fall/was felled’

• धरणीपृष्ठे: on the surface of the earth
• धरणीपृष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरणी (प्रातिपदिक) + पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; धरणी-पृष्ठ = धरण्याः पृष्ठम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• विषाणैः: with horns/tusks
• विषाणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• अपीड्यत: was crushed/pressed
• अपीड्यत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + पीड् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-भावः ‘was pressed/crushed’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Prahlada Narrative

Phase: Persecution

Bhakti Quality: Kṣānti (forbearance) and steadiness under physical assault.

Persecution: Elephants

Characters & Entities

• Diggajas (directional elephants)

FAQs

What is the significance of the diggajas (directional elephants) in the Vishnu Purana?

They represent immense cosmic power linked to the quarters and the maintenance of order; here they intensify the scene’s scale, showing how overwhelming forces can bear upon a mortal life.

How does Sage Parāśara explain suffering within dynastic narratives?

Through vivid episodes of peril and downfall, Parāśara frames royal history as governed by Dharma and karma—worldly power is unstable, and embodied beings remain subject to higher law.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇic worldview assumes his supreme sovereignty: cosmic order, fate, and the rise and fall of lineages unfold within the Lord’s overarching governance.