Shloka 21

इन्द्र-प्रायश्चित्तं, कृष्णाभिषेकः, गोविन्द-नामप्राप्तिः

Devanagari script

कंसो नाम महाबाहुर् दैत्यो ऽरिष्टस् तथापरः केशी कुवलयापीडो नरकाद्यास् तथापरे

Transliteration

kaṃso nāma mahābāhur daityo 'riṣṭas tathāparaḥ keśī kuvalayāpīḍo narakādyās tathāpare

Translation

There was Kamsa, mighty‑armed; and also the daitya Ariṣṭa; likewise Keśī, Kuvalayāpīḍa, Naraka, and others besides.

Word by Word

• कंसः: Kaṃsa
• कंसः: Karta/Topic (Subject/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कंस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Nāmadhāraṇa (Naming marker/नाम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-शब्दः (indeclinable used for naming: ‘by name’)

• महाबाहुः: mighty-armed
• महाबाहुः: Viśeṣaṇa (Appositional qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (महान् बाहुः यस्य/महाबाहुः)

• दैत्यः: a demon (Daitya)
• दैत्यः: Viśeṣaṇa (Apposition/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अरिष्टः: Ariṣṭa
• अरिष्टः: Karta/Topic (Subject/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरिष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तथा: also
• तथा: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयार्थ (thus/also)

• अपरः: another
• अपरः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• केशी: Keśī
• केशी: Karta/Topic (Subject/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कुवलयापीडः: Kuvalayāpīḍa
• कुवलयापीडः: Karta/Topic (Subject/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुवलय (प्रातिपदिक) + आपीड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कुवलयस्य आपीडः)

• नरकाद्याः: Naraka and others
• नरकाद्याः: Karta/Topic (Subject/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (नरकः आदिः येषाम्)

• तथा: also
• तथा: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थ (also)

• अपरे: others
• अपरे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Enumeration of the principal burdening foes whose destruction is integral to Kṛṣṇa’s mission.

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Kṛṣṇa descends to destroy oppressive daityas and tyrants like Kaṃsa and others who constitute the Earth’s burden.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Safety of the righteous and the removal of violent tyranny that disrupts social and cosmic order.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Lakshmi Presence: Bhumi

Characters & Entities

• Kamsa
• Ariṣṭa
• Keśī
• Kuvalayāpīḍa
• Naraka

FAQs

What is the significance of listing Kamsa, Ariṣṭa, Keśī, and others in the Vishnu Purana?

The verse functions as a narrative roll-call of oppressive forces whose defeat signals Vishnu’s (as Krishna’s) restoration of dharma and relief of the earth’s burden.

How does Sage Parāśara frame Krishna’s mission through this verse?

By naming the principal antagonists, Parāśara sets the stage for Krishna’s divinely ordered acts—showing that the Lord’s descent addresses specific manifestations of adharma.

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

Vishnu, appearing as Krishna, is implied as the supreme regulator of cosmic order—overcoming demonic power not merely politically, but as a corrective to universal imbalance.