Shloka 21

केशीवधः तथा ‘केशव’ नामप्रसिद्धिः

Devanagari script

स्वकर्माण्य् अवतारे ते कृतानि मधुसूदन यानि तैर् विस्मितं चेतस् तोषम् एतेन मे गतम्

Transliteration

svakarmāṇy avatāre te kṛtāni madhusūdana yāni tair vismitaṃ cetas toṣam etena me gatam

Translation

O Madhusūdana, the deeds You Yourself performed in Your descent as an avatāra—by remembering them my mind is filled with wonder, and by that remembrance alone I find contentment.

Word by Word

• स्वकर्माणि: your own deeds
• स्वकर्माणि: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (one's own deeds)

• अवतारे: in (your) incarnation
• अवतारे: Adhikarana (Locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवतार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• ते: of you/your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (enclitic)

• कृतानि: done
• कृतानि: Karta-predicative (predicate of subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• मधुसूदन: O Madhusūdana
• मधुसूदन: Sambodhana (Vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु + सूदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (slayer of Madhu)

• यानि: which
• यानि: Karta (Subject apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• तैः: by those (deeds)
• तैः: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• विस्मितम्: astonished
• विस्मितम्: Karta-predicative (qualifier of cetas)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-स्मि (धातु) → विस्मित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• चेतः: mind
• चेतः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तोषम्: satisfaction
• तोषम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• एतेन: by this
• एतेन: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (enclitic)

• गतम्: has gone/has come (to me)
• गतम्: Karta-predicative (predicate of subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (अस्ति) लुप्त (elliptic 'is')

Speaker

A devotee/praiser addressing Sri Krishna (Madhusudana) within the Krishna-avatara narrative (as recounted by Sage Parāśara to Maitreya).

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To enact divine deeds in avatāra that inspire remembrance (smaraṇa) and sustain devotees through wonder and contentment.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Establishing devotion through remembrance of avatāra-karmāṇi as a saving refuge.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Smaraṇa of the Lord’s avatāra-deeds itself fills the heart with wonder and becomes a direct source of inner satisfaction.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Adopt daily līlā-smaraṇa (scriptural reading or kīrtana) and let the mind rest in the Lord’s acts rather than in anxieties.

Vishishtadvaita: Devotional remembrance relates to the personal Lord whose auspicious qualities and actions are real and accessible, not illusory—supporting a qualified non-dual personal Brahman.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Vasudeva

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Krishna (Madhusudana)
• Avatara

FAQs

What is the significance of remembering Vishnu’s avatāra deeds in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents remembrance of the Lord’s avatāra-karmas as spiritually transformative—producing wonder in the mind and culminating in deep inner contentment.

How does Sage Parāśara frame devotion in the dialogue with Maitreya here?

Within Parāśara’s narration, devotion is shown not merely as belief but as contemplative engagement with the Lord’s actions—where reflecting on Krishna’s divine works becomes a direct source of mental uplift and satisfaction.

What is the theological importance of calling the Lord “Madhusūdana” in this context?

The epithet identifies Krishna as Vishnu, the sovereign protector who destroys forces opposed to cosmic order; it underscores that the avatāra’s deeds are divine acts of supreme reality, not ordinary human achievements.