Shloka 41

कुब्जानुग्रहः, धनुर्भङ्गः, कुवलयापीडवधः, मल्लयुद्धं, कंसवधः, स्तुतयः

Devanagari script

विस्तारिताक्षियुगलो राजान्तःपुरयोषितः नागरस्त्रीसमूहश् च द्रष्टुं न विरराम तम्

Transliteration

vistāritākṣiyugalo rājāntaḥpurayoṣitaḥ nāgarastrīsamūhaś ca draṣṭuṃ na virarāma tam

Translation

With eyes widened in wonder, the women of the royal inner chambers—and the gathered women of the city as well—could not cease from gazing upon him.

Word by Word

• विस्तारित-अक्षि-युगलः: with eyes wide-open (lit. having expanded pairs of eyes)
• विस्तारित-अक्षि-युगलः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विस्तारित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √स्तृ/√तॄ? causative sense 'to spread' as adjective) + अक्षि (प्रातिपदिक) + युगल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीह्यर्थे प्रयोगः (describing a group): 'विस्तारिते अक्षियुगले यस्य/येषाम्'

• राज-अन्तःपुर-योषितः: the women of the royal inner apartments
• राज-अन्तःपुर-योषितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तःपुर (प्रातिपदिक) + योषित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (योषितः = nom. pl.); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'राज्ञः अन्तःपुरस्य योषितः'

• नागर-स्त्री-समूहः: the crowd of city women
• नागर-स्त्री-समूहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागर (प्रातिपदिक) + स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक) + समूह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'नागराणां स्त्रीणां समूहः'

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• द्रष्टुम्: to see
• द्रष्टुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• विरराम: ceased / stopped
• विरराम: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-√रम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: vivid

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: By granting public darśan, Krishna draws hearts toward himself and spreads auspiciousness, supporting dharma through devotional attraction.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Awakening of devotion and auspicious order through the Lord’s captivating presence among the people.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord’s beauty arrests the senses and can redirect ordinary seeing into sustained, transformative darśan.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Train attention: let beauty and awe become gateways to remembrance (smaraṇa) rather than distraction.

Vishishtadvaita: Sense experience can be sanctified when oriented to the personal Lord, aligning embodied life with devotion.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

Characters & Entities

• King (unnamed in this verse)
• Women of the city (nāgara-strī-samūha)

FAQs

What is the significance of describing the city and palace women watching the king in the Vishnu Purana?

It emphasizes the king’s extraordinary presence and the public recognition of royal majesty—an element often used in dynastic narration to signal legitimacy, fame, and the social reach of sovereignty.

How does Sage Parāśara present kingship in these dynastic chapters?

Through vivid, courtly scenes that show how a ruler is perceived by both the inner palace and the wider city, Parāśara frames kingship as a visible, socially affirmed power tied to order and reputation.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in a given verse, the Purana’s dynastic storytelling is grounded in the Vaishnava view that rightful sovereignty and worldly order ultimately rest on Vishnu as the supreme regulator of dharma and cosmic governance.