Shloka 26

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

Devanagari script

मथुरानगरीपौरनयनानां महोत्सवः गोविन्दावयवैर् दृष्टैर् अतीवाद्य भविष्यति

Transliteration

mathurānagarīpauranayanānāṃ mahotsavaḥ govindāvayavair dṛṣṭair atīvādya bhaviṣyati

Translation

For the eyes of Mathurā’s citizens, a great festival will arise today, surpassing all, when they behold the limbs and radiant form of Govinda.

Word by Word

• मथुरानगरीपौरनयनानाम्: of the eyes of Mathurā’s citizens
• मथुरानगरीपौरनयनानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मथुरा + नगरी + पौर + नयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (मथुरानगर्याः पौराणां नयनानि = the eyes of the citizens of Mathurā-city)

• महोत्सवः: a great festival
• महोत्सवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + उत्सव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् उत्सवः)

• गोविन्दावयवैः: by Govinda’s limbs
• गोविन्दावयवैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोविन्द + अवयव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गोविन्दस्य अवयवाः)

• दृष्टैः: seen
• दृष्टैः: Karana (Instrument-Qualifier/करणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘seen’ (agreeing with अवयवैः)

• अतीव: exceedingly
• अतीव: Visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतीव (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/तीव्रता-वाचक-अव्यय (intensifier adverb)

• अद्य: today
• अद्य: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The ‘festival for the eyes’ experienced by Mathurā’s citizens upon seeing Govinda’s form.

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: celebratory

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: He grants darśana to the people of Mathurā and advances the mission to end Kaṃsa’s oppression.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Public auspiciousness and the re-centering of civic life around dharma through the Lord’s presence.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord’s visible form (aṅga-saundarya) is not mere aesthetics but a sacred ‘mahotsava’ that purifies perception.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Transform seeing into worship: practice mindful darśana (in temple or at home) as a discipline that refines attention and desire.

Vishishtadvaita: Form is real and salvific: the divine body is a locus of grace, aligning with Vishishtadvaita’s affirmation of auspicious attributes and embodied worship.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Lakshmi Presence: Sri

Characters & Entities

• Mathura
• Govinda (Krishna)

FAQs

What is the significance of darśana (seeing the Lord) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse portrays the very sight of Govinda as a “great festival” for the people—implying that divine vision itself is auspicious, transformative, and spiritually elevating.

How does Sage Parāśara frame Krishna’s presence in the narrative?

Parāśara presents Krishna (Govinda) not merely as a heroic figure but as the Supreme made visible—whose appearance generates collective joy and sacred celebration in Mathurā.

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

Govinda’s embodied form is treated as intrinsically sacred, reflecting Vaishnava teaching that the Supreme Reality (Vishnu) graciously becomes accessible to devotees through incarnate presence and direct experience.