Vishnu Purana — Amsha 5 - Krishna Avatara, Shloka 19

अक्रूरस्य गोकुलगमनम्—दर्शन-लालसा, अंशावतार-बोधः, विष्णु-स्तुतिः

Devanagari script

स ददर्श तदा तत्र कृष्णम् आदोहने गवाम् वत्समध्यगतं फुल्लनीलोत्पलदलच्छविम्

Transliteration

sa dadarśa tadā tatra kṛṣṇam ādohane gavām vatsamadhyagataṃ phullanīlotpaladalacchavim

Translation

Then, right there, he beheld Kṛṣṇa at the milking of the cows—standing amid the calves—his beauty shining like the fresh petals of a fully-bloomed blue lotus.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन (Nom. sg.)

• ददर्श: saw
• ददर्श: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन (3rd sg.)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-vishesana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (then)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (there)

• कृष्णम्: Krishna
• कृष्णम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

• आदोहने: at the milking
• आदोहने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ-दोहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; सप्तमी एकवचन (Loc. sg.); ‘दोहने’ (milking time/place)

• गवाम्: of the cows
• गवाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी बहुवचन (Gen. pl.)

• वत्समध्यगतम्: standing among the calves
• वत्समध्यगतम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वत्स (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + गत (गम् धातु + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.); सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—वत्सानां मध्ये गतः (gone/standing among the calves)

• फुल्लनीलोत्पलदलच्छविम्: having the radiance like petals of a blooming blue lotus
• फुल्लनीलोत्पलदलच्छविम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: फुल्ल (प्रातिपदिक) + नील (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्पल (प्रातिपदिक) + दल (प्रातिपदिक) + छवि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.); बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः—फुल्लस्य नीलोत्पलस्य दलस्य इव छविः यस्य (having the hue like petals of a blooming blue lotus)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To reveal the sweetness of the personal Lord in pastoral līlā, captivating the devotee’s heart through darśana.

Leela: Bala

Dharma Restored: Sanctification of ordinary life (cow-milking, herding) as a locus of divine presence

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna (personal)

Bhakti Type: Vatsalya

Characters & Entities

• Krishna

FAQs

What is the significance of Krishna being seen during the milking of cows in the Vishnu Purana?

It highlights Bhagavān’s saulabhya—His supreme divinity appearing within ordinary, intimate rural life—making devotion natural and immediate.

How does Sage Parāśara present Krishna’s divinity in this verse?

By portraying an unmistakable divine radiance—likened to fully-bloomed blue-lotus petals—while Krishna stands simply among calves, merging transcendence with closeness.

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

Krishna is presented as Vishnu’s supreme manifestation whose beauty and presence sanctify the pastoral world, reinforcing bhakti as a direct encounter with the Supreme Reality.