Shloka 44

शरद्वर्णनं, योगोपमा, तथा गोवर्धन-यज्ञप्रवर्तनम्

Devanagari script

तथा च कृतवन्तस् ते गिरियज्ञं व्रजौकसः दधिपायसमांसाद्यैर् ददुः शैलबलिं ततः

Transliteration

tathā ca kṛtavantas te giriyajñaṃ vrajaukasaḥ dadhipāyasamāṃsādyair daduḥ śailabaliṃ tataḥ

Translation

Thus the dwellers of Vraja performed the sacrifice to the Mountain; then, with curds, sweet rice, meats, and other offerings, they presented a bali—sacred oblations—to the hill.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus/in that manner)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• कृतवन्तः: having done; they did
• कृतवन्तः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्तवत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्तवत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘having done’

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• गिरियज्ञम्: the mountain-sacrifice
• गिरियज्ञम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि + यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• व्रजौकसः: the Vraja-dwellers
• व्रजौकसः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रज + ओकस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; व्रज-निवासिनः

• दधिपायसमांसाद्यैः: with curd, sweet rice, meat, etc.
• दधिपायसमांसाद्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दधि + पायस + मांस + आद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः; ‘with curd, rice-pudding, meat, etc.’

• ददुः: they gave; offered
• ददुः: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• शैलबलिम्: an offering to the mountain
• शैलबलिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैल + बलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; शैलाय बलिः (offering to the mountain)

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ततः = तस्मात्/तदनन्तरम् (thereupon/then)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Details of the Govardhana-yajña and offerings made by the Vrajavāsīs

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: He prompts the Govardhana-yajña in which Vraja offers abundant food, setting the stage for Indra’s defeat and Vraja’s protection.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Rightful sacrificial economy—sharing food and honoring sustaining powers under Bhagavān’s order

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Yajña is concretized as sharing and offering of nourishment—food becomes sacred when offered and distributed in dharmic order.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Sanctify sustenance: offer before consumption, share generously, and honor the natural supports (land, water, cattle) as part of spiritual duty.

Vishishtadvaita: The world and its supports are real and God-related; offering material goods becomes service to the Lord who indwells and upholds all.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Vatsalya

Characters & Entities

• Vraja
• Vrajavāsis (cowherd community)
• Govardhana (the mountain, implied)

FAQs

What is the significance of the giri-yajña (mountain-sacrifice) in the Vishnu Purana?

It marks Vraja’s shift from appeasing a celestial power to honoring the immediate sustainer of their livelihood, underscoring that rightful worship aligns with dharma and the Supreme’s will rather than fear-driven ritual.

How does Sage Parāśara frame this ritual change in the dialogue with Maitreya?

Parāśara narrates it as a concrete communal act—offerings and bali to the hill—showing how dharma is enacted in daily life when guided by higher discernment and divine purpose.

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

Krishna’s guidance reveals the Supreme Lord’s sovereignty over ritual outcomes and cosmic hierarchies, teaching that devotion and right order are rooted in the Supreme Reality rather than in the demands of subordinate deities.