Shloka 17

नारदेन कंसबोधनम्, कंसस्योपायचिन्ता, अक्रूरप्रेषणम् (मथुरागमनप्रस्तावः)

Devanagari script

नागः कुवलयापीडो महामात्रप्रचोदितः स वा हनिष्यते पापौ वसुदेवात्मजौ शिशू

Transliteration

nāgaḥ kuvalayāpīḍo mahāmātrapracoditaḥ sa vā haniṣyate pāpau vasudevātmajau śiśū

Translation

Urged on by the royal officials, the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa will surely slay those two wicked children—Vasudeva’s sons.

Word by Word

• नागः: the elephant
• नागः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कुवलयापीडः: (named) Kuvalayāpīḍa
• कुवलयापीडः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुवलय + आपीड (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कुवलयस्य आपीडः)

• महामात्रप्रचोदितः: urged/instigated by the chief officer
• महामात्रप्रचोदितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महामात्र + प्रचोदित (√चुद्/चोद्, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle)

• सः: he/that one
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वा: indeed/or
• वा: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (particle of alternative/emphasis)

• हनिष्यते: will kill / will slay
• हनिष्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हन् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• पापौ: sinful (two)
• पापौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), द्विवचन; विशेषण

• वसुदेवात्मजौ: the two sons of Vasudeva
• वसुदेवात्मजौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुदेव + आत्मज (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वसुदेवस्य आत्मजौ)

• शिशू: the two infants
• शिशू: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, द्विवचन

Speaker

A royal agent/official aligned with King Kamsa (within Parasara’s narration to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To remove the burden of adharma in Mathurā by destroying Kaṃsa and his asuric allies and re-establishing righteous rule.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Protection of the innocent and the overthrow of tyrannical, adharma-based kingship.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Kuvalayapida
• Vasudeva
• Krishna
• Balarama
• Mahamatras (royal officers)
• Kamsa (implied)

FAQs

What is the significance of Kuvalayāpīḍa in the Vishnu Purana?

Kuvalayāpīḍa represents Kamsa’s weaponized power—state violence directed to eliminate Vasudeva’s sons—setting the stage for divine reversal through Krishna’s avatara-līlā.

How does Sage Parāśara frame the hostility toward Krishna and Balarama here?

Through reported speech within the narrative, Parāśara shows how adharmic authority (mahāmātras under Kamsa) labels the divine children as ‘wicked’ and mobilizes force against them.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when the avatara is spoken of as a vulnerable ‘child,’ the Purana’s arc affirms Vishnu’s sovereignty—plots born of fear and adharma ultimately collapse before the Supreme.