Shloka 2
पुनर्जन्म-दैत्यावतार-यादववंशमहिमा
Rebirth, Daitya Incarnations, and the Glory of the Yādava/Vṛṣṇi Line
न लयं तत्र तेनैव निहतः स कथं पुनः संप्राप्तः शिशुपालत्वे सायुज्यं शाश्वते हरौ
na layaṃ tatra tenaiva nihataḥ sa kathaṃ punaḥ saṃprāptaḥ śiśupālatve sāyujyaṃ śāśvate harau
He did not attain dissolution there; struck down by Him alone, how did he again become Śiśupāla—only to gain sāyujya, union with the Eternal Hari?
Maitreya (questioning Sage Parāśara in the ongoing dialogue)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: To remove the burden of the earth and to grant liberation to those who come into contact with Him, even through hostility.
Leela: Moksha-dana
Dharma Restored: Vindication of the Lord’s supremacy and the principle that liberation is bestowed by Hari’s grace.
Concept: Being slain by the Lord does not necessarily imply immediate dissolution; the jīva may take further births until the Lord grants sāyujya with the Eternal Hari.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Reflect on the difference between ordinary death and liberation; orient life toward devotion and surrender rather than relying on ritual or status.
Vishishtadvaita: Sāyujya here is closeness/union by the Lord’s grace while maintaining the Lord’s eternality and supremacy—liberation is relational, not identity-erasure.
Vishnu Form: Hari
FAQs
This verse raises the doctrinal puzzle: despite being slain by Vishnu, Śiśupāla is said to attain sāyujya (a liberating union) with the Eternal Hari, showing Vishnu’s absolute sovereignty over bondage and release.
Maitreya frames the contradiction here—no dissolution occurred, yet a return happened—prompting Parāśara’s later clarification about karmic continuity and the special destiny of beings bound to Vishnu through intense fixation, even as hostility.
Hari is presented as śāśvata (eternal) and as the direct agent of both death and liberation, reinforcing Vaishnava theology that moksha ultimately rests in Vishnu’s power and presence.