Shloka 2

केशीवधः तथा ‘केशव’ नामप्रसिद्धिः

Devanagari script

स खुरक्षतभूपृष्ठः सटाक्षेपधुताम्बुदः प्लुतविक्रान्तचन्द्रार्कमार्गो गोपान् उपाद्रवत्

Transliteration

sa khurakṣatabhūpṛṣṭhaḥ saṭākṣepadhutāmbudaḥ plutavikrāntacandrārkamārgo gopān upādravat

Translation

He charged at the cowherds—his hooves tearing the earth’s surface, his mane-flinging scattering the rain-clouds, and his leaping strides seeming to overrun the very courses of the moon and sun—thus he assailed the gopas.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता) एकवचन (Pronoun; Masculine; Nominative; Singular)

• khurakṣatabhūpṛṣṭhaḥ: (one) whose hooves scar the ground
• khurakṣatabhūpṛṣṭhaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: khura + kṣata + bhūpṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन (Masculine; Nominative; Singular); बहुव्रीहि (whose earth-surface is wounded by hooves)

• saṭākṣepadhutāmbudaḥ: (one) who scatters clouds by mane-tossing
• saṭākṣepadhutāmbudaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṭā + ākṣepa + dhuta + ambuda (प्रातिपदिक; √dhū + kta)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन (Masculine; Nominative; Singular); बहुव्रीहि (who shakes off clouds by tossing his mane)

• plutavikrāntacandrārkamārgaḥ: (one) whose leaping course surpasses moon and sun
• plutavikrāntacandrārkamārgaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pluta + vikrānta + candra + arka + mārga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन (Masculine; Nominative; Singular); बहुव्रीहि (whose path is overstepping the moon and sun by leaps)

• gopān: the cowherds
• gopān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gopa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (कर्म) बहुवचन (Masculine; Accusative; Plural)

• upādravat: attacked, assailed
• upādravat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√dru (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Imperfect; 3rd person; Singular)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: vivid

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Kṛṣṇa confronts and restrains world-disrupting asuric power, preserving the cosmic and social order mirrored in the rhythms of sun and moon.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Stability of the world-order (ṛta/dharma) symbolized by the regular courses of sun and moon, and safety of the pastoral community.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Unchecked violence disrupts not only society but symbolically the very order of the cosmos; dharma requires a higher restraint that only the Supreme can finally guarantee.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Recognize and resist ‘Keśī-like’ impulses—brute force, intimidation, domination—through self-restraint and alignment with dharmic authority.

Vishishtadvaita: Cosmic order is upheld by the personal Lord’s governance within creation; worldly stability is not separate from His immanent protection of beings.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Vatsalya

Characters & Entities

• Moon (Candra)
• Sun (Arka)

FAQs

What is the significance of the sun and moon imagery in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It heightens the attacker’s terrifying power by suggesting his leaps could overrun even the cosmic courses of the sun and moon—implying a disruption of ṛta (universal order) that ultimately requires the Supreme’s governance to restrain.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the threat to the gopas in this passage?

Parāśara narrates the danger through vivid physical and cosmic metaphors—earth torn by hooves, clouds scattered, and celestial paths overstepped—showing the gopas as vulnerable dependents whose safety rests on divine protection.

What is the theological importance of Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the narrative frame is Vaishnava: worldly and cosmic order cannot be ultimately overturned, because Vishnu (as the Supreme Reality) remains the final protector and regulator of creation.