Shloka 5
अक्रूर-सत्कारः, मथुरायात्रा-विरहः, यमुनातटे दिव्यदर्शनम्, चतुर्व्यूह-नमस्कारः
यथा निर्भर्त्स्यते तेन कंसेनानकदुन्दुभिः यथा च देवकी देवी दानवेन दुरात्मना
yathā nirbhartsyate tena kaṃsenānakadundubhiḥ yathā ca devakī devī dānavena durātmanā
“(I shall tell you) how, by that Kamsa, Anakadundubhi (Vasudeva) would be harshly rebuked—and how the goddess-like Devakī too would be tormented by that wicked-souled, daemonic oppressor.”
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Krishna’s advent counters Kaṃsa’s oppression of Vasudeva and Devakī and culminates in the destruction of the tyrant who threatens the divine plan.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Protection of devotees and the re-establishment of righteous rule and safety for the innocent.
Concept: The suffering of devotees under tyranny becomes the occasion for divine protection and the unfolding of the Lord’s salvific līlā.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: In hardship, anchor the mind in remembrance and seek dhārmic support; do not normalize abuse—prepare for righteous redress.
Vishishtadvaita: The Lord responds to the plight of His śeṣa-bhūta devotees, showing personal, relational sovereignty rather than an impersonal absolute.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse functions as narrative foreshadowing: Kamsa’s adharma and cruelty become the immediate cause that precipitates Vishnu’s avatāra-līlā as Krishna to re-establish righteous order.
Parāśara frames the episode as a sequential account—first indicating the coming humiliation of Vasudeva and the suffering of Devakī—before detailing the chain of actions that culminate in divine intervention and Kamsa’s eventual downfall.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s theology reads such oppression as the condition that calls forth the Supreme Lord’s protective descent—affirming Vishnu’s sovereignty over history and dharma.