Shloka 4

अरिष्टवृषभदैत्यवधः (गोव्रजत्राणम्)

Devanagari script

उदग्रककुदाभोगः प्रमाणाद् दुरतिक्रमः विण्मूत्रलिप्तपृष्ठाङ्गो गवाम् उद्वेगकारकः

Transliteration

udagrakakudābhogaḥ pramāṇād duratikramaḥ viṇmūtraliptapṛṣṭhāṅgo gavām udvegakārakaḥ

Translation

With a high, swelling hump and massive shoulders, he surpassed all ordinary measure and was hard to restrain; his back and limbs were smeared with dung and urine, and he stirred fear and agitation among the cattle.

Word by Word

• उदग्रककुदाभोगः: having a lofty, broad hump/withers
• उदग्रककुदाभोगः: कर्ता (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उदग्र + ककुद + आभोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—"उदग्रः ककुद-आभोगः (उन्नत-स्कन्धविस्तारः) यस्य"; विशेषणम्

• प्रमाणात्: in size, by measure
• प्रमाणात्: अपादान (मान-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान/हेतु-निर्देश ("by measure/size")

• दुरतिक्रमः: hard to overcome
• दुरतिक्रमः: कर्ता (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् + अतिक्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—दुरतिक्रमः (hard to cross/overcome); विशेषणम्

• विण्मूत्रलिप्तपृष्ठाङ्गः: whose back/body was smeared with dung and urine
• विण्मूत्रलिप्तपृष्ठाङ्गः: कर्ता (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विण् + मूत्र + लिप्त + पृष्ठ + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—"विण्मूत्रेण लिप्तं पृष्ठाङ्गं यस्य"; विशेषणम्

• गवाम्: of the cows
• गवाम्: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (गो-शब्दः), षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• उद्वेगकारकः: causing terror/distress
• उद्वेगकारकः: कर्ता (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद्वेग + कारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—उद्वेगं करोति इति; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Kṛṣṇa protects Vraja by overcoming grotesque, overpowering demonic forms that disturb cattle and devotees.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Go-sevā/go-rakṣā as a pillar of Vraja’s dharma and economy, and the serenity needed for bhakti.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Adharma manifests as both violence and inner/outer impurity that disturbs the innocent; dharma protects the vulnerable and maintains sāttvika order.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate non-harming and cleanliness in conduct, especially toward dependents (animals, family, community).

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is upheld as Bhagavān’s ordinance in the embodied world; protecting beings is service to the Lord who indwells them (implicit śeṣa-śeṣi relation).

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Cattle (Gavām)

FAQs

What is the significance of descriptive verses like this in the Vishnu Purana?

They illustrate Sarga (creation) by cataloging how distinct traits appear in living beings, showing an ordered cosmos rather than random emergence.

How does Sage Parāśara explain creation through such details?

Parāśara presents creation as a structured manifestation—species and behaviors are described concretely to demonstrate the patterned unfolding of the world within cosmic law.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana frames these created characteristics as operating within the sovereignty of the Supreme Reality (Vishnu), whose order sustains the world.