Shloka 50
कुब्जानुग्रहः, धनुर्भङ्गः, कुवलयापीडवधः, मल्लयुद्धं, कंसवधः, स्तुतयः
नियुद्धप्राश्निकानां तु महान् एष व्यतिक्रमः यद् बालबलिनोर् युद्धं मध्यस्थैः समुपेक्ष्यते
niyuddhaprāśnikānāṃ tu mahān eṣa vyatikramaḥ yad bālabalinor yuddhaṃ madhyasthaiḥ samupekṣyate
For those appointed to oversee a regulated duel, this is a grave transgression: that the combat between a mere boy and a powerful warrior is calmly ignored by the arbiters standing in the middle as witnesses.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: By entering an unfairly arranged duel, Krishna exposes the arbiters’ complicity and brings Kaṃsa’s adharma to a decisive end.
Leela: Dharma-upadesa
Dharma Restored: Nyāya in contest: rules, proportionality, and protection of minors/weak from abuse.
Concept: Dharma is upheld not only by fighters but by impartial arbiters; silent complicity in injustice is itself a grave transgression.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: In workplaces and institutions, insist on fair process and protect weaker parties; do not be a passive ‘bystander’ to abuse.
Vishishtadvaita: Bhagavān’s līlā teaches dharma through lived social order, affirming a real world where moral responsibility matters.
FAQs
This verse treats niyuddha as a dharmic institution requiring strict oversight; when officials allow an unequal match, the duel becomes adharma and the guardians of order become culpable.
By calling their inaction a “great violation,” Parāśara frames neutrality as a responsibility, not a refuge—witnesses must uphold fairness and restrain injustice when power is imbalanced.
Even without Vishnu’s name in the verse, the Purana’s Vaishnava vision treats dharma as Vishnu’s sustaining order (sthiti); protecting the vulnerable and enforcing justice reflects alignment with that sustaining sovereignty.