Shloka 23

पुनर्जन्म-दैत्यावतार-यादववंशमहिमा

Rebirth, Daitya Incarnations, and the Glory of the Yādava/Vṛṣṇi Line

Devanagari script

देवासुरहता ये तु दैतेयाः सुमहाबलाः ते चोत्पन्ना मनुष्येषु जनोपद्रवकारिणः

Transliteration

devāsurahatā ye tu daiteyāḥ sumahābalāḥ te cotpannā manuṣyeṣu janopadravakāriṇaḥ

Translation

Those mighty Daiteyas, slain in the wars of Devas and Asuras, were born again among humankind; taking human form, they became the very cause of the people’s affliction and turmoil.

Word by Word

• देवासुरहता: slain by the gods and asuras
• देवासुरहता: Visheshana (Qualifier of दैतेयाः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + असुर (प्रातिपदिक) + हत (√हन् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणम्; समासः—देव-असुरैः हताः (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः/पदपूरकः (contrast/emphasis particle)

• दैतेयाः: the Daityas (sons of Diti)
• दैतेयाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैतेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्

• सुमहाबलाः: very mighty
• सुमहाबलाः: Visheshana (Qualifier of दैतेयाः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (अव्यय-उपसर्ग/उपपद) + महा (प्रातिपदिक) + बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; समासः—सु + महाबलाः (अत्यन्तं महाबलाः)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• उत्पन्नाः: born/arisen
• उत्पन्नाः: Visheshana (Qualifier of ते)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत् (उपसर्ग) + √पद्/√पन् (धातु; ‘to arise/be born’) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• मनुष्येषु: among humans
• मनुष्येषु: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी बहुवचनम् (locative plural)

• जनोपद्रवकारिणः: causing distress to people
• जनोपद्रवकारिणः: Visheshana (Qualifier of ते)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक) + उपद्रव (प्रातिपदिक) + कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; समासः—जनस्य उपद्रवः (षष्ठी) तं करोति इति (उपद्रव-कारिन्)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Causes of social affliction and the background to Yādava/Vṛṣṇi genealogy (asura-rebirth motif)

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Hostile tendencies can reappear through rebirth, manifesting as social oppression that must be addressed through dharma-aligned governance and divine order.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Recognize recurring patterns of harm in society and counter them through principled leadership, restraint, and dharmic institutions rather than vengeance.

Vishishtadvaita: Evil is treated as a contingent distortion within saṃsāra, ultimately governed by the Lord’s providence over embodied beings.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Asuras
• Daiteyas
• Humans (Manushyas)

FAQs

What is the significance of Daiteyas being reborn among humans in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse explains that forces defeated in cosmic battles can reappear within human society, manifesting as oppression and social disturbance—showing how adharma resurfaces across cycles.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the cause of widespread public suffering (janopadrava)?

Parāśara attributes certain large-scale disturbances to powerful asuric beings taking human birth, indicating a moral-cosmic dimension to historical turmoil within Manvantara time.

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

Even when asuric powers re-emerge in human realms, the Purana’s framework implies Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty over cycles of order and disruption, through which dharma is ultimately restored.