Shloka 16

अक्रूरस्य यमुनादर्शनम्, मथुराप्रवेशः, रजकवधः, माल्यजीवकवरदानम्

Devanagari script

ततस् तलप्रहारेण कृष्णस् तस्य दुरात्मनः पातयाम् आस कोपेन रजकस्य शिरो भुवि

Transliteration

tatas talaprahāreṇa kṛṣṇas tasya durātmanaḥ pātayām āsa kopena rajakasya śiro bhuvi

Translation

Then Krishna, angered, struck that wicked washerman down with a single blow of his palm, and his head fell to the ground. In this swift act, the Lord made dharma unmistakably manifest.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Sambandha (Discourse adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/क्रमसूचक (thereupon/then)

• तल-प्रहारेण: with a blow of the palm
• तल-प्रहारेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तल (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (तलेन प्रहारः/तलस्य प्रहारः)

• कृष्णः: Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दुरात्मनः: of the wicked-souled (man)
• दुरात्मनः: Sambandha (Genitive apposition to तस्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुरात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• पातयाम्: caused to fall
• पातयाम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पत् (धातु; पतँ गतौ) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: ‘caused to fall’)

• आस: did/was (aux.)
• आस: Kriya (Auxiliary/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु; असँ भुवि)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; सहायकक्रिया (auxiliary with periphrastic construction)

• कोपेन: in anger
• कोपेन: Hetu/Instrument (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• रजकस्य: of the washerman
• रजकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रजक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• भुवि: on the ground
• भुवि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To curb adharmic aggression in Mathurā and establish the Lord’s immediate protection of the righteous through decisive justice.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Kṣātra-dharma’s restraint of cruelty and the safeguarding of public order

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When power-backed arrogance turns into harm, the Lord’s governance manifests as immediate restraint of adharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Refuse complicity with cruelty; uphold justice swiftly yet proportionately, especially when the vulnerable are threatened.

Vishishtadvaita: Bhagavān’s immanence as ruler of moral order—His protection operates within history, not apart from it.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Rajaka (the washerman)

FAQs

What is the significance of Krishna striking the washerman in the Vishnu Purana?

It illustrates dharma-rakṣaṇa: Krishna decisively curbs cruelty and arrogance, showing that social power or position cannot shield adharmic behavior from divine justice.

How does Sage Parāśara frame such acts of severity in the Vishnu Purana’s theology?

As Parāśara narrates to Maitreya, Krishna’s force is not mere anger but the Lord’s governance—punishment becomes a visible instrument for restoring order and protecting the devoted.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu (as Krishna) in this context?

Krishna functions as the Supreme Reality acting within history: the same Lord who sustains the cosmos also intervenes directly to re-establish dharma when it is violated.