Shloka 2

अरिष्टवृषभदैत्यवधः (गोव्रजत्राणम्)

Devanagari script

सतोयतोयदच्छायस् तीक्ष्णशृङ्गो ऽर्कलोचनः खुराग्रपातैर् अत्यर्थं दारयन् वसुधातलम्

Transliteration

satoyatoyadacchāyas tīkṣṇaśṛṅgo 'rkalocanaḥ khurāgrapātair atyarthaṃ dārayan vasudhātalam

Translation

Casting a dark sheen like deep waters, with razor-sharp horns and eyes blazing like the sun, he struck the earth with the tips of his hooves, rending the world’s surface with overwhelming force.

Word by Word

• सतोयतोयदच्छायः: whose shadow was like a rain-cloud laden with water
• सतोयतोयदच्छायः: कर्ता (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-तोय + तोयद + छाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—"यस्य छाया तोयदस्य (मेघस्य) सतोया"; विशेषणम् (qualifying Ariṣṭa)

• तीक्ष्णशृङ्गः: sharp-horned
• तीक्ष्णशृङ्गः: कर्ता (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीक्ष्ण + शृङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (sharp-horned); विशेषणम्

• अर्कलोचनः: sun-eyed (having eyes like the sun)
• अर्कलोचनः: कर्ता (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्क + लोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—अर्क इव लोचनं यस्य (उपमान-समासार्थ); विशेषणम्

• खुराग्रपातैः: with the strikes of the hoof-tips
• खुराग्रपातैः: करण
• Type: Noun
• Root: खुर + अग्र + पात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—खुरस्य अग्रस्य पातैः; करण (instrument)

• अत्यर्थम्: excessively, greatly
• अत्यर्थम्: सम्बन्ध (क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्यर्थम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• दारयन्: tearing, rending
• दारयन्: क्रिया-विशेषण (कर्तृ-सम्बद्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दॄ (धातु; दारणे)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्तः; शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; "tearing/splitting"

• वसुधातलम्: the surface of the earth
• वसुधातलम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुधा + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—वसुधायाः तलम्; कर्म (object of dārayan)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Kṛṣṇa’s descent sustains Vraja by meeting demonic violence with divine strength, preventing the disruption of pastoral life and devotion.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Safety of the earth-bound community (goṣṭha) and stability of Vraja’s dharmic livelihood.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Varaha (Boar incarnation of Vishnu)
• Vishnu
• Earth (Vasudhā/Bhūmi)

FAQs

What is the significance of the Varaha imagery in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse uses boar-form imagery (tusks, hooves, sun-like eyes) to depict Vishnu’s power to physically re-order the world, symbolizing the restoration of cosmic stability when creation is disrupted.

How does Sage Parāśara explain Vishnu’s role in maintaining universal order here?

By portraying Vishnu’s incarnation as an overwhelming, world-shaping force that rends and reforms the earth itself, Parāśara frames Vishnu as the supreme regulator who intervenes directly to re-establish order.

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

Vishnu is presented as the Supreme Reality whose incarnate form is not merely symbolic but efficacious—his presence and action actively sustain and restore the cosmos.