Shloka 30

Devanagari script

हत्वा कुवलयापीडं हस्त्यारोहप्रचोदितम् मदासृगनुलिप्ताङ्गौ गजदन्तवरायुधौ

Transliteration

hatvā kuvalayāpīḍaṃ hastyārohapracoditam madāsṛganuliptāṅgau gajadantavarāyudhau

Translation

Having slain Kuvalayāpīḍa, the elephant driven on by its rider, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were smeared with rut and blood; taking the tusks as splendid weapons, they stood forth in irresistible might.

Word by Word

• हत्वा: having killed
• हत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), ‘having slain’

• कुवलयापीडम्: Kuvalayāpīḍa (the elephant)
• कुवलयापीडम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुवलयापीड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—कुवलय + आपीड (तत्पुरुष; proper name of the elephant)

• हस्त्यारोहप्रचोदितम्: urged on by the elephant-rider
• हस्त्यारोहप्रचोदितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हस्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + आरोह (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रचोदित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle) ‘प्रचोदित’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—हस्त्यारोह + प्रचोदित (तत्पुरुष), हस्त्यारोहः = हस्तिनः आरोहः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) ; विशेषणम् (कुवलयापीडम्)

• मदासृगनुलिप्ताङ्गौ: whose limbs were smeared with rut and blood
• मदासृगनुलिप्ताङ्गौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मद (प्रातिपदिक) + असृज्/असृक् (प्रातिपदिक) + अनुलिप्त (कृदन्त) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘मदेन असृजा च अनुलिप्तानि अङ्गानि यस्य’ (whose limbs are smeared with rut and blood); विशेषणम् (गजदन्तवरायुधौ)

• गजदन्तवरायुधौ: the two whose fine weapons were elephant tusks
• गजदन्तवरायुधौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक) + दन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + वर (प्रातिपदिक) + आयुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘गजदन्तः वरः आयुधं यस्य’ (whose excellent weapon is an elephant-tusk); विशेष्य-रूपेण (likely referring to the two brothers)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Krishna (with Balarama) destroys Kamsa’s deadly elephant and proceeds to dismantle the tyrant’s violent apparatus, protecting the world and devotees.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Protection of the righteous assembly and the reassertion of divine justice over oppression

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Divine power, when aligned with dharma, subdues violent force and protects society from tyranny.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Stand firmly against cruelty and injustice while keeping motives purified—strength in service of dharma, not ego.

Vishishtadvaita: The Supreme acts within history through a tangible, personal form, making grace and protection accessible in the embodied world.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Sri Krishna
• Balarama
• Kuvalayapida
• Kamsa
• Elephant-rider (mahout)

FAQs

What is the significance of Kuvalayāpīḍa’s death in the Vishnu Purana?

It marks the collapse of Kamsa’s coercive power at the very threshold of the arena—Krishna neutralizes state-sponsored violence and signals the imminent end of tyranny.

How does Sage Parāśara frame Krishna’s actions here within the larger teaching to Maitreya?

Parāśara narrates Krishna’s deeds as līlā that restores dharma: the Lord’s human-like struggle is described, yet the outcome reveals divine supremacy guiding history toward righteous order.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Krishna’s effortless victory portrays Vishnu’s sovereign mastery over all forces—physical, political, and cosmic—affirming the Lord as the ultimate protector and regulator of dharma.