Shloka 20

केशीवधः तथा ‘केशव’ नामप्रसिद्धिः

Devanagari script

युद्धोत्सुको ऽहम् अत्यर्थं नरवाजिमहाहवम् अवृत्तपूर्वम् अन्यत्र द्रष्टुं स्वर्गाद् उपागतः

Transliteration

yuddhotsuko 'ham atyarthaṃ naravājimahāhavam avṛttapūrvam anyatra draṣṭuṃ svargād upāgataḥ

Translation

I am exceedingly eager for battle. To behold this great combat between men and horses—never before seen elsewhere—I have come down from heaven.

Word by Word

• युद्धोत्सुकः: eager for battle
• युद्धोत्सुकः: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युद्ध + उत्सुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (eager for battle)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अत्यर्थम्: exceedingly
• अत्यर्थम्: Adverbial modifier
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्यर्थम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• नरवाजिमहाहवम्: the great man-and-horse battle
• नरवाजिमहाहवम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + वाजि + महा + अहव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (great battle with man-and-horse)

• अवृत्तपूर्वम्: unprecedented
• अवृत्तपूर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + वृत्त + पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (previously not occurred)

• अन्यत्र: elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Adverbial modifier
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• द्रष्टुम्: to see
• द्रष्टुम्: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → द्रष्टुम् (तुमुन्)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive); प्रयोजन (purpose)

• स्वर्गात्: from heaven
• स्वर्गात्: Apadana (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

• उपागतः: has come/arrived
• उपागतः: Karta (Predicate of subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-गम् (धातु) → उपागत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past active participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

A celestial being (deva/gandharva-type onlooker) speaking within the royal battle narrative (as recounted by Sage Parāśara to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To draw even the celestials into witnessing His extraordinary līlā of destroying adharma in Vraja.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Demonstration of divine protection through righteous victory over violent intrusion into Vraja.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Svarga (Heaven)
• Devas (implied heavenly beings)
• Warriors (men)
• Horses

FAQs

What is the significance of heavenly beings coming from Svarga to witness a battle in the Vishnu Purana?

It signals that the event is extraordinary and world-shaping—so notable that it draws attention across realms, reflecting the Purāṇic idea that human dharma and fame can resonate up to Svarga.

How does Sage Parāśara present worldly conflict within a sacred Purāṇic framework?

Even when narrating royal warfare, Parāśara frames it as part of a larger cosmic order where actions, renown, and consequences are observed across lokas, reinforcing dharma and accountability.

What theological takeaway about Lord Vishnu applies in this context even when Vishnu is not directly named?

The Vishnu Purana consistently implies a Vishnu-governed moral cosmos: events unfold within an ordered universe where extraordinary dharmic or fateful moments reverberate through multiple realms under the Supreme Reality’s sovereignty.