Shloka 68

वंशस्मरण-फलम्, वैशालिका-प्रसङ्गः, रेवती-बलदेव-विवाहः, विष्णु-परतत्त्व-स्तुतिः

Devanagari script

कुशस्थली या तव भूप रम्या पुरी पुराभूद् अमरावतीव सा द्वारका संप्रति तत्र चास्ते स केशवांशो बलदेवनामा

Transliteration

kuśasthalī yā tava bhūpa ramyā purī purābhūd amarāvatīva sā dvārakā saṃprati tatra cāste sa keśavāṃśo baladevanāmā

Translation

O King, your delightful city Kuśasthalī once shone like Amarāvatī itself. Now it is known as Dvārakā, and there indeed abides Baladeva, famed by that name—an emanated portion of Keśava.

Word by Word

• kuśasthalī: Kushasthali (city name)
• kuśasthalī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuśasthalī (कुशस्थली)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• yā: which
• yā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्)
• Form: Pronoun, Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (युष्मद्)
• Form: Pronoun, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• bhūpa: O King
• bhūpa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūpa (भूप)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (Sambodhana), Singular

• ramyā: beautiful/delightful
• ramyā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ramya (रम्य)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• purī: city
• purī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purī (पुरी)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• purā: formerly/in the past
• purā: Adhikarana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (पुरा)
• Form: Adverb

• abhūt: was/became
• abhūt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू)
• Form: Aorist (Lun), Parasmaipada, 3rd Person, Singular

• amarāvatī: Amaravati (Indra's city)
• amarāvatī: Upamana (Comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amarāvatī (अमरावती)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• iva: like
• iva: Upama (Simile/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (इव)
• Form: Particle

• sā: that/she
• sā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्)
• Form: Pronoun, Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• dvārakā: Dvaraka
• dvārakā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvārakā (द्वारका)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• saṃprati: now/at present
• saṃprati: Adhikarana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saṃprati (सम्प्रति)
• Form: Adverb

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Place/स्थान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (तत्र)
• Form: Adverb

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च)
• Form: Conjunction

• āste: resides/is
• āste: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ās (आस्)
• Form: Present (Lat), Atmanepada, 3rd Person, Singular

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• keśavāṃśaḥ: portion of Keshava
• keśavāṃśaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśavāṃśa (केशवांश)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• baladevanāmā: named Baladeva
• baladevanāmā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: baladevanāman (बलदेवनामन्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The Yādava setting and the sacrality of Dvārakā/Kuśasthalī in the royal narrative.

Teaching: Historical

Quality: revealing

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To support the divine mission in Dvārakā and strengthen dharma through his aṃśa, Baladeva, alongside Kṛṣṇa’s earthly līlā.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Kṣatriya order and righteous sovereignty centered in Dvārakā.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord’s presence sanctifies place: Dvārakā is hallowed because an aṃśa of Keśava, Baladeva, abides there as protector.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Treat sacred spaces as aids to remembrance—visit or mentally dwell on kṣetras like Dvārakā to strengthen devotion and ethical resolve.

Vishishtadvaita: Shows divine immanence through aṃśa/emanation (Baladeva as Saṅkarṣaṇa), preserving the Lord’s transcendence while acting within history.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Vamsha: Chandra

Dharma Exemplar: Kṣatra-tejas (protective strength)

Key Kings: Baladeva

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Vyuha Form: Sankarshana

Characters & Entities

• Baladeva
• Keśava (Vishnu/Krishna)
• Dvārakā
• Kuśasthalī
• Amarāvatī

FAQs

What is the significance of Dvārakā being identified with Kuśasthalī in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse links an ancient royal city (Kuśasthalī) with the later sacred Dvārakā, presenting the land itself as continuity of dharma and divine habitation in the Yādava age.

How does Sage Parāśara explain Baladeva’s identity here?

Parāśara describes Baladeva as a Keśavāṃśa—an emanated portion of Keśava—emphasizing that the Lord’s power manifests in forms that protect and stabilize the world-order.

What is the theological importance of Keśava in this context?

Keśava is treated as the supreme divine source whose sovereignty extends through emanations like Baladeva, grounding the narrative in Vaishnava metaphysics where Vishnu’s reality sustains history, kingship, and sacred place.