Shloka 16

गोवर्धनोत्तरविस्मयः, रासलीलाप्रसङ्गः, तथा सर्वव्याप्तिवेदान्तोपदेशः

Devanagari script

विना रामेण मधुरम् अतीव वनिताप्रियम् जगौ कलपदं शौरिर् नानातन्त्रीकृतव्रतम्

Transliteration

vinā rāmeṇa madhuram atīva vanitāpriyam jagau kalapadaṃ śaurir nānātantrīkṛtavratam

Translation

Without Rāma, Śauri sang a melody sweet in itself and especially dear to women—measured in graceful cadence, and rendered with disciplined practice across many strings and modes.

Word by Word

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Exclusion/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: वियोगार्थक-अव्यय (without)

• rāmeṇa: Rama
• rāmeṇa: Sambandha (Excluded associate/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘रामेण विना’ (without Rama)

• madhuram: sweet
• madhuram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: madhura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; (qualifying ‘kalapadam’)

• atīva: exceedingly
• atīva: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Degree/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atīva (अव्यय)
• Form: तीव्रतार्थक-अव्यय (intensifier: exceedingly)

• vanitā-priyam: beloved of women
• vanitā-priyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vanitā (प्रातिपदिक) + priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘वनितानां प्रियम्’ (dear to women)

• jagau: he sang
• jagau: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gai (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kalapadam: a melodious song/strain
• kalapadam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalapada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• śauriḥ: Śauri (Krishna)
• śauriḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śauri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; कृष्णस्य उपनाम

• nānā-tantrī-kṛta-vratam: accompanied/arranged with many strings
• nānā-tantrī-kṛta-vratam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ‘kalapadam’/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nānā (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + tantrī (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (kṛ धातु-क्त) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (बहुपद); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘नानातन्त्रीभिः कृतं व्रतं/विधानं यस्य’—many-stringed (instrument)-arranged/regulated (i.e., accompanied by varied strings)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Krishna’s musical performance (kalapada, disciplined multi-stringed modes) in the Vraja setting, notably ‘without Rāma’.

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: aesthetic, intimate

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To charm the gopīs and deepen their devotion through song, embodying divine sweetness that liberates through aesthetic experience.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Uplifting the hearts of devotees through sacred music (gīta) as a dharmic channel for emotion and remembrance.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sacred sound and disciplined artistry can become direct instruments of devotion, drawing the mind effortlessly toward Bhagavān.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Adopt regular devotional music/chanting with disciplined practice (abhyāsa) so emotion is refined into steady remembrance.

Vishishtadvaita: Bhakti is mediated through real embodied practices (voice, rhythm, melody) offered to the personal Lord, integrating body and spirit.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

Characters & Entities

• Śauri (Krishna)
• Rāma (Balarāma)

FAQs

What is the significance of music and refined arts in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames Śauri’s song as disciplined (vrata) and ordered, suggesting that culture and aesthetic harmony can mirror dharma and the well-governed order upheld by Vishnu’s avatāra.

How does Sage Parāśara explain disciplined practice (vrata) in a non-ritual context?

Here, vrata is applied to mastery of musical modes/strings, showing that restraint, training, and rule-bound excellence are also forms of dharmic discipline within worldly life.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

By depicting Śauri (Kṛṣṇa) as both captivating and perfectly skilled, the narrative hints at Vishnu’s avatāra as supreme sovereignty expressed not only in cosmic acts but also in ordered excellence within human experience.