Shloka 16

अक्रूर-सत्कारः, मथुरायात्रा-विरहः, यमुनातटे दिव्यदर्शनम्, चतुर्व्यूह-नमस्कारः

Devanagari script

सारं समस्तगोष्ठस्य विधिना हरता हरिम् प्रहृतं गोपयोषित्सु निर्घृणेन दुरात्मना

Transliteration

sāraṃ samastagoṣṭhasya vidhinā haratā harim prahṛtaṃ gopayoṣitsu nirghṛṇena durātmanā

Translation

Then that pitiless, wicked-souled one—while Hari, by destiny’s own ordinance, was taking away the very essence of the entire cowherd settlement—struck the cowherd women.

Word by Word

• सारम्: the essence/best part
• सारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• समस्तगोष्ठस्य: of the entire cowherd community
• समस्तगोष्ठस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समस्त (प्रातिपदिक) + गोष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (समस्तस्य गोष्ठस्य)

• विधिना: by fate/Providence
• विधिना: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• हरता: by (one) taking away
• हरता: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; धातु: हृ ‘to take away’

• हरिम्: Hari (Krishna)
• हरिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रहृतम्: was carried off
• प्रहृतम्: Kriyā (Passive predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘carried off/struck away’

• गोपयोषित्सु: among the gopī-women
• गोपयोषित्सु: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपी (प्रातिपदिक) + योषित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (गोप्यः एव योषितः)

• निर्घृणेन: by the merciless one
• निर्घृणेन: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्घृण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• दुरात्मना: by the wicked person
• दुरात्मना: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुरात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; नकारान्त-प्रातिपदिक (आत्मन्-शब्द)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Krishna, as Hari, is ‘taken away’ by the ordinance of destiny to accomplish the Mathurā purpose, causing Vraja’s intense separation.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Protection of the world through the avatāra’s onward mission, despite local grief.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Separation from the beloved Lord is experienced as violence by the heart; yet the narrative frames it within vidhi (cosmic ordinance) guiding the avatāra’s work.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: When life’s duties or divine providence bring separation, acknowledge grief without cruelty, and avoid harming others through displaced anger.

Vishishtadvaita: Providence (niyati/vidhi) operates under Bhagavān’s sovereignty; devotees respond through surrender rather than nihilism.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Vishnu/Krishna)
• Gopīs (cowherd women)
• Gopa community (cowherds)

FAQs

What is the significance of ‘vidhinā’ (destiny/ordinance) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It frames the episode as unfolding under a higher divine order—Hari’s actions occur within an overruling providence, while the wrongdoer’s violence is still morally condemned.

How does Sage Parāśara explain moral contrast in Krishna’s narratives here?

By placing ‘Hari’ alongside descriptors like ‘nirghṛṇa’ and ‘durātman’, the narration highlights the difference between the Lord’s sovereign lila and the offender’s adharma.

What is the theological importance of Hari (Vishnu/Krishna) in this context?

Hari is portrayed as the supreme, governing reality whose presence and will underlie events, even as the text denounces cruelty and protects the sanctity of devotees.