Shloka 56

कुब्जानुग्रहः, धनुर्भङ्गः, कुवलयापीडवधः, मल्लयुद्धं, कंसवधः, स्तुतयः

Devanagari script

अशस्त्रम् अतिघोरं तत् तयोर् युद्धं सुदारुणम् बलप्राणविनिष्पाद्यं समाजोत्सवसंनिधौ

Transliteration

aśastram atighoraṃ tat tayor yuddhaṃ sudāruṇam balaprāṇaviniṣpādyaṃ samājotsavasaṃnidhau

Translation

Weaponless, yet terrifying beyond measure, was that battle—cruel and relentless, draining strength and very life-breath—fought in the midst of the assembled crowd at the public festival.

Word by Word

• अशस्त्रम्: weaponless, without weapons
• अशस्त्रम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + शस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (युद्धम्)

• अतिघोरम्: exceedingly terrible
• अतिघोरम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति + घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (तत्/युद्धम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Anuvāda/Deictic (Reference/निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अन्वयः—‘तत् युद्धम्’

• तयोः: of the two
• तयोः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, द्विवचन

• युद्धम्: the fight
• युद्धम्: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा

• सुदारुणम्: very dreadful
• सुदारुणम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (युद्धम्)

• बलप्राणविनिष्पाद्यम्: causing the loss of strength and life
• बलप्राणविनिष्पाद्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बल + प्राण + विनिष्पाद्य (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: भविष्यत्कृदन्त/योग्यतार्थक (gerundive/तव्यत्-अर्थ), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (युद्धम्) — ‘(that which) brings about/exhausts strength and life’

• समाजोत्सवसंनिधौ: in the presence of the public festival/assembly
• समाजोत्सवसंनिधौ: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समाज + उत्सव + संनिधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: graphic, cautionary

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To crush demonic violence even without weapons, proving that divine power is not dependent on external instruments.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Defense of the innocent assembly and the moral order threatened by state-sponsored brutality.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Violence can be socially normalized as spectacle, yet dharma demands protection of life and the restraint of cruelty.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Refuse complicity in harmful ‘public entertainments’ or systems that drain life; align strength with protection, not oppression.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s compassionate governance operates within society (loka-saṅgraha) while remaining supremely free.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

FAQs

What is the significance of an unarmed (aśastra) battle in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse highlights that even without weapons a conflict can become intensely destructive, emphasizing how personal rivalry can threaten dharma and public order when staged before society.

How does Sage Parāśara frame conflict within the dynastic narratives?

Parāśara describes royal struggles as public, consequential events—where strength, life-force, and reputation are consumed—showing how lineage history is shaped by contests witnessed and judged by the community.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s dynastic history operates under Vishnu’s sovereign order: public dharma, kingship, and the outcomes of conflict ultimately unfold within the larger framework of divine governance.