Shloka 24

Devanagari script

अर्जुनार्थे त्व् अहं सर्वान् युधिष्ठिरपुरोगमान् निवृत्ते भारते युद्धे कुन्त्यै दास्याम्य् अविक्षतान्

Transliteration

arjunārthe tv ahaṃ sarvān yudhiṣṭhirapurogamān nivṛtte bhārate yuddhe kuntyai dāsyāmy avikṣatān

Translation

But for Arjuna’s sake, when the war of the Bhāratas has ended, I shall restore them all—Yudhiṣṭhira at their head—and deliver them back to Kuntī, unharmed and unbroken.

Word by Word

• अर्जुनार्थे: for Arjuna's sake
• अर्जुनार्थे: Nimitta/Hetu (Purpose/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जुन + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अर्जुनस्य अर्थः)

• तु: but / indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (but/indeed)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• युधिष्ठिरपुरोगमान्: having Yudhiṣṭhira in the lead
• युधिष्ठिरपुरोगमान्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युधिष्ठिर + पुरोगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (युधिष्ठिरः पुरोगमः येषाम्)

• निवृत्ते: when (it) has ended
• निवृत्ते: Adhikarana (Location/Time setting)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि + वृत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘निवृत्त’ = ceased/ended

• भारते: Bhārata (the great)
• भारते: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भारत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (युद्धे)

• युद्धे: in the war
• युद्धे: Adhikarana (Time/Place)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• कुन्त्यै: to Kuntī
• कुन्त्यै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुन्ती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• दास्यामि: I will give
• दास्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अविक्षतान्: unwounded, unharmed
• अविक्षतान्: Karma (Object complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + विक्षत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नञ्-समासपूर्वक-विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; ‘विक्षत’ (PPP of वि+क्षद्/क्षत्) = wounded; अविक्षत = unwounded

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To preserve the Pandavas for Arjuna’s sake and re-establish rightful rule after the Bharata war.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Kṣātra-dharma aligned with justice; restoration of the righteous polity under Yudhiṣṭhira

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord’s vow to protect His devotees operates through historical events, culminating in the restoration of dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Hold to dharma in crisis, trusting that outcomes mature in time; cultivate patience and devotion amid upheaval.

Vishishtadvaita: Divine agency and human duty are coordinated: the Lord upholds the world-order while devotees act within it.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Vamsha: Chandra

Dharma Exemplar: Yudhiṣṭhira—rāja-dharma and truthfulness

Key Kings: Yudhiṣṭhira, Arjuna, Kuntī

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Kuntī
• Bharata war (Mahābhārata)

FAQs

What is the significance of restoring Yudhiṣṭhira and the others unharmed in the Vishnu Purana?

It frames the epic war’s aftermath as a divinely supervised restoration of dharma, ensuring the rightful line and righteous rule continue without being annihilated.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine sovereignty in this passage?

By presenting the outcome—returning the leaders safely to Kuntī—as a deliberate act of higher will, Parāśara emphasizes that political order and lineage persist through providential oversight.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when not named directly, the Purana’s worldview treats the preservation of dharmic kings and the stabilization after cosmic-scale conflict as expressions of Vishnu’s sustaining power.