Shloka 24

पुनर्जन्म-दैत्यावतार-यादववंशमहिमा

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

Devanagari script

तेषाम् उत्सादनार्थाय भुवि देवा यदोः कुले अवतीर्णाः कुलशतं यत्रैकाभ्यधिकं द्विज

Transliteration

teṣām utsādanārthāya bhuvi devā yadoḥ kule avatīrṇāḥ kulaśataṃ yatraikābhyadhikaṃ dvija

Translation

To bring about the destruction of those oppressive forces, O brāhmaṇa, the gods descended upon the earth, taking birth in the lineage of Yadu—where there were a hundred and one clans.

Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी बहुवचनम् (genitive plural)

• उत्सादनार्थाय: for the destruction (of them)
• उत्सादनार्थाय: Prayojana (Purpose/Dative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्सादन (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे चतुर्थी एकवचनम्; समासः—उत्सादनस्य अर्थः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक; ‘earth’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम् (locative singular)

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्

• यदोः: of Yadu
• यदोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यदु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम् (genitive singular)

• कुले: in the lineage/family
• कुले: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम् (locative singular)

• अवतीर्णाः: descended/incarnated
• अवतीर्णाः: Karta (Predicate adjective of देवाः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव (उपसर्ग) + √तॄ (धातु; ‘to cross/descend’) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• कुलशतम्: a hundred families/lines
• कुलशतम्: Karma (Object/Measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; द्विगु-समासः (शतं कुलानि/कुलशतम्)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adverbial (Location/relative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्—देशवाचक-सम्बन्ध (relative adverb: where)

• एकाभ्यधिकम्: one more (i.e., 101)
• एकाभ्यधिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of कुलशतम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; समासः—एकेन अधिकम् (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष)

• द्विज: O twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन एकवचनम् (vocative singular)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Why divinities take birth in the Yadu line and the scope of Yādava clans

Teaching: Genealogical

Quality: revealing

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To eliminate the oppressive daitya-born forces among humans and restore dharma by establishing a divine, god-assisted Yādava embodiment on earth.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Protection of the people and rebalancing of kṣatra power under divine supervision

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Divine descent operates through history and lineage, showing that the Lord’s protection can manifest as embodied, dharma-restoring presence among humans.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: See sacred history as a mode of grace; cultivate devotion by hearing/remembering how dharma is upheld through divinely guided communities.

Vishishtadvaita: The transcendent Lord coordinates immanent historical processes—lineage, birth, and social order—without losing sovereignty.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Vamsha: Chandra

Key Kings: Yadu

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Yadu
• Yadava clans

FAQs

What is the significance of the Devas descending into the Yadu dynasty in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames the Yādava lineage as the chosen historical vessel for divine intervention—gods taking human birth to eliminate oppressive forces and restore dharma on earth.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine action within history and genealogy?

Parāśara ties cosmic purpose to royal lineage: avatāra-like descents occur through specific dynasties, and the enumeration of clans (101) signals an ordered, traceable unfolding of divine providence in human history.

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

Although Vishnu is not named in this single verse, the logic is Vaishnava: the divine order operates through sanctioned descents, with the supreme sovereignty behind the gods’ incarnations guiding the restoration of dharma.