Shloka 15

कुब्जानुग्रहः, धनुर्भङ्गः, कुवलयापीडवधः, मल्लयुद्धं, कंसवधः, स्तुतयः

Devanagari script

ततः पूरयता तेन भज्यमानं बलाद् धनुः चकार सुमहाशब्दं मथुरा येन पूरिता

Transliteration

tataḥ pūrayatā tena bhajyamānaṃ balād dhanuḥ cakāra sumahāśabdaṃ mathurā yena pūritā

Translation

Then, as he drew it to its full stretch, the bow—strained by his sheer might—broke with a vast, thunderous report, so that all Mathurā seemed filled with that sound.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) क्रम/अनन्तर (‘then’)

• पूरयता: by (him) stringing
• पूरयता: करण/कर्ता (Instrument/agent)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-पूॄ (धातु; √पूॄ/पूर् ‘to fill/string’)
• Form: शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त/Present participle), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करणभावे/कर्तरि (‘by him while stringing’)

• तेन: by him
• तेन: करण/कर्ता (Instrument/agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• भज्यमानम्: being broken
• भज्यमानम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of dhanuḥ)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भञ्ज् (धातु; √भञ्ज् ‘to break’)
• Form: शानच् (वर्तमान कृदन्त/Present passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; कर्मणि (‘being broken’)

• बलात्: by force
• बलात्: हेतु/क्रियाविशेषण (Cause/Adverbial)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (‘by force/forcibly’)

• धनुः: the bow
• धनुः: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• चकार: made/produced
• चकार: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु; √कृ ‘to do/make’)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सुमहाशब्दम्: a very great sound
• सुमहाशब्दम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + महा (प्रातिपदिक) + शब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (‘अतिमहान् शब्दः’)

• मथुरा: Mathurā
• मथुरा: कर्म/अधिकरण (Patient/locative sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मथुरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• येन: by which
• येन: करण (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (‘by which’)

• पूरिता: was filled
• पूरिता: क्रिया (Predicate in passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूॄ/पूर् (धातु; √पूॄ/पूर् ‘to fill’)
• Form: क्त (भूतकृदन्त/Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मणि (‘was filled’)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The portent-like sound of the bow breaking and its effect on Mathura

Teaching: Historical

Quality: dramatic

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To announce, through a public sign of overpowering might, the imminent end of Kamsa and the restoration of moral order in Mathura.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Removal of tyrannical fear; re-establishment of rightful kingship and safety for devotees

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When the Lord intervenes, entrenched structures of adharma can collapse in a single moment, and the world itself ‘hears’ the turning of the cosmic moral order.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Let decisive, dharma-aligned action replace hesitation when confronting injustice, while grounding courage in devotion rather than ego.

Vishishtadvaita: The immanent Lord acts within the material world without diminishing transcendence, making history a vehicle for grace and protection.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Mathura

FAQs

What is the significance of the bow-breaking episode in the Vishnu Purana?

It functions as a public omen of Krishna’s divine sovereignty—his mere act fills Mathurā with a thunderous sign that adharma’s protections will collapse.

How does Sage Parāśara explain Krishna’s power in this context?

Through narrative demonstration rather than abstract doctrine: Krishna’s effortless force makes the bow break and its sound pervade the city, showing power that surpasses ordinary human capability.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Krishna’s act is presented as the Lord’s supreme, world-governing potency (aiśvarya), foreshadowing the re-establishment of dharma and the defeat of tyrannical rule.