Shloka 22

अक्रूरस्य यमुनादर्शनम्, मथुराप्रवेशः, रजकवधः, माल्यजीवकवरदानम्

Devanagari script

ततः प्रहृष्टवदनस् तयोः पुष्पाणि कामतः चारूण्य् एतान्य् अथैतानि प्रददौ स विलोभयन्

Transliteration

tataḥ prahṛṣṭavadanas tayoḥ puṣpāṇi kāmataḥ cārūṇy etāny athaitāni pradadau sa vilobhayan

Translation

Then, his face bright with delight, he sought to please them and offered the two lovely flowers, chosen according to their desire.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अव्यय-प्रकारः—सम्बन्ध/अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereupon)

• prahṛṣṭa-vadanaḥ: with a delighted face
• prahṛṣṭa-vadanaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-hṛṣṭa (कृदन्त) + vadana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (प्रहृष्टं वदनं यस्य)

• tayoḥ: of those two
• tayoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• puṣpāṇi: flowers
• puṣpāṇi: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• kāmataḥ: as he wished
• kāmataḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kāmatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारः—रीत्यर्थक/यथेष्टम् (as desired)

• cārūṇi: beautiful
• cārūṇi: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cāru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; ‘puṣpāṇi’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• etāni: these
• etāni: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• atha: then
• atha: Vākyasaṃbandha (Discourse connector/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारः—अनन्तरार्थक/समुच्चयार्थक (then/and)

• etāni: these (same)
• etāni: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• pradadau: gave
• pradadau: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु) + pra- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vilobhayan: enticing (them)
• vilobhayan: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Concomitant action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: lubh (धातु) + vi- (उपसर्ग) + śatṛ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘enticing/alluring’ (सहायक-क्रिया/भाव)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Śrī Kṛṣṇa reveals how simple offerings, when made with heartfelt joy, become a bridge to divine favor.

Leela: Dharma-upadesa

Dharma Restored: Uplifting the dharma of dāna and pūjā—offering the best one has with gladness.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Bhakti uses the senses in sanctified ways—beauty and fragrance become vehicles of worship when offered to the Lord.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Offer what is genuinely pleasing and pure (time, skill, beauty, resources) without ulterior motive, letting joy itself be the offering.

Vishishtadvaita: Material qualities (rūpa, gandha) are not obstacles but can be consecrated as the Lord’s attributes-in-service within the world that is His body.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Dasya

FAQs

What is the significance of offering flowers in this Vishnu Purana verse?

The flowers function as a narrative symbol of kāma (desire) and vilobhana (enticement), showing how attraction is used to influence choices within a dharma-centered story.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of temptation in moral episodes?

Through brief, action-focused descriptions like this, Parāśara highlights how external allurements are introduced into the plot to test intentions and steer outcomes, a common Purāṇic ethical motif.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Vishnu Purana frames such episodes within a cosmos governed by the Supreme Lord’s order, where desire and delusion operate under the larger sovereignty of dharma.