Shloka 3
अरिष्टवृषभदैत्यवधः (गोव्रजत्राणम्)
लेलिहानः सनिष्पेषं जिह्वयौष्ठौ पुनः पुनः संरम्भाविद्धलाङ्गूलः कठिनस्कन्धबन्धनः
lelihānaḥ saniṣpeṣaṃ jihvayauṣṭhau punaḥ punaḥ saṃrambhāviddhalāṅgūlaḥ kaṭhinaskandhabandhanaḥ
Again and again he licked his tongue and lips as though grinding them; his tail lashed in fury, and his shoulders and frame grew taut and rigid—thus he stood, seized by a surge of wrath.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Kṛṣṇa confronts embodiments of rage and adharma to preserve the peace in which Vraja’s loving worship flourishes.
Leela: Yuddha
Dharma Restored: Removal of violent obstruction to communal harmony and devotional life.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
FAQs
The verse uses vivid bodily imagery to show how inner passion (krodha/rajas) manifests outwardly, setting up a moral contrast with dharma and self-restraint that the narrative typically resolves through higher order.
Parāśara often marks turning points with such descriptions—anger, fear, or desire—so the listener (Maitreya) can see how actions arise from guṇas, and how order is restored through rightful conduct and, ultimately, divine governance.
Even when Vishnu is not named in a specific line, the Purana’s narrative frame treats such eruptions of wrath as disturbances within a cosmos ultimately upheld and harmonized by Vishnu as the supreme sustaining reality.