Shloka 16

शरद्वर्णनं, योगोपमा, तथा गोवर्धन-यज्ञप्रवर्तनम्

Devanagari script

विमलाम्बरनक्षत्रे काले चाभ्यागते व्रजम् ददर्शेन्द्रमहारम्भाय्(अ) (उ)द्यतांस् तान् व्रजौकसः

Transliteration

vimalāmbaranakṣatre kāle cābhyāgate vrajam dadarśendramahārambhāy(a) (u)dyatāṃs tān vrajaukasaḥ

Translation

When the time arrived under the asterism Vimālāmbara, the people of Vraja beheld that Indra’s mighty undertaking was being set in motion against them—an onrush poised to fall upon the cowherd settlement.

Word by Word

• विमलाम्बरनक्षत्रे: in the season/time of clear skies and stars
• विमलाम्बरनक्षत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमल (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्बर (प्रातिपदिक) + नक्षत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी (locative), एकवचन (singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (विमलम् अम्बरम् यस्मिन् तत्; तस्मिन् नक्षत्रे/काले)

• काले: at the time
• काले: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (locative), एकवचन (singular)

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

• अभ्यागते: having arrived; when (it) had come
• अभ्यागते: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभि-आ-गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त) → अभ्यागत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी (locative), एकवचन (singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) used adjectivally; (काले) विशेषण

• व्रजम्: Vraja (cowherd settlement)
• व्रजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• ददर्श: saw
• ददर्श: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• इन्द्रमहारम्भाय: for Indra’s great undertaking (attack)
• इन्द्रमहारम्भाय: Sampradana (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + महा (प्रातिपदिक) + आरम्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), चतुर्थी (dative), एकवचन (singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (इन्द्रस्य महा-आरम्भः)

• उद्यतान्: ready; rising to act
• उद्यतान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद्-यत् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त) → उद्यत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (accusative), बहुवचन (plural); शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (present active participle)

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (accusative), बहुवचन (plural); सर्वनाम

• व्रजौकसः: the inhabitants of Vraja
• व्रजौकसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रज (प्रातिपदिक) + ओकस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (nominative), बहुवचन (plural); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (व्रजे ओकः/निवासः येषाम्)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: dramatic, foreboding

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To protect the Vraja community from Indra’s deluge and reveal that refuge (śaraṇāgati) in the Supreme surpasses dependence on proud devas.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Śaraṇāgati and bhakti-centered order: the Lord’s protection of devotees and humbling of deva-ahaṃkāra.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even when heavenly forces threaten, the Supreme Lord’s higher sovereignty turns calamity into a revelation of protection for those who take refuge.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: In crisis, practice śaraṇāgati—remember the Lord, act responsibly, and anchor the heart in trust rather than fear.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s saulabhya (accessibility) and rakṣakatva (protectorship) toward real, dependent selves grounds devotional surrender without denying the reality of the world’s dangers.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Vatsalya

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Vraja
• Vrajavāsis (cowherds of Vraja)

FAQs

What is the significance of Indra’s ‘great undertaking’ against Vraja in the Vishnu Purana?

It frames a conflict where a deva’s pride and punitive power confront the higher divine order, preparing the narrative to show that true sovereignty belongs to the Supreme Lord, not even to Indra.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of time (kāla) and nakṣatra in this episode?

By marking the event with a specific time and asterism, the text emphasizes that cosmic events unfold with ordained timing, yet that timing ultimately serves the Lord’s larger purpose in protecting and teaching His devotees.

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

Even when the threat appears ‘heaven-sent,’ the episode underscores that devas operate under the Supreme Reality; the Lord’s guardianship of Vraja reveals Him as the final refuge and ruler of cosmic law.