Shloka 57

कुब्जानुग्रहः, धनुर्भङ्गः, कुवलयापीडवधः, मल्लयुद्धं, कंसवधः, स्तुतयः

Devanagari script

यावद् यावच् च चाणूरो युयुधे हरिणा सह प्राणहानिम् अवापाग्र्यां तावत् तावल् लवाल् लवम्

Transliteration

yāvad yāvac ca cāṇūro yuyudhe hariṇā saha prāṇahānim avāpāgryāṃ tāvat tāval lavāl lavam

Translation

So long as Cāṇūra continued to wrestle with Hari, for just so long—moment after moment—he drew near to the crowning fate: the loss of life; before the Supreme Lord, even mighty strength endures only for an instant.

Word by Word

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Kāla/Parimāṇa (Temporal/Measure adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; यावत्-तावत्-सम्बन्धे अव्यय (correlative adverb)

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Kāla/Parimāṇa (Temporal/Measure adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोग (repetition for emphasis)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• चाणूरः: Cāṇūra
• चाणूरः: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चाणूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• युयुधे: fought
• युयुधे: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युध् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• हरिणा: with Hari (Kṛṣṇa)
• हरिणा: Saha/Karaṇa (Association/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahārtha (Comitative/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक-उपपद (postposition meaning ‘with’)

• प्राणहानिम्: loss of life
• प्राणहानिम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण + हानि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• अवाप: attained, met with
• अवाप: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव् + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्/लुङ्-रूप (contextually past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — ‘attained’

• अग्र्याम्: supreme, foremost
• अग्र्याम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अग्र्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (प्राणहानिम्)

• तावत्: so long, then
• तावत्: Kāla/Parimāṇa (Temporal/Measure adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; यावत्-तावत्-सम्बन्धे अव्यय (correlative)

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Kāla/Parimāṇa (Temporal/Measure adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोग (emphatic repetition)

• लवात्: from a moment
• लवात्: Apādāna (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/अपादान), एकवचन; कालपरिमाणे ‘from a moment’

• लवम्: a moment
• लवम्: Karman/Measure (Object as measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन; कालपरिमाणे

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: revealing

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To end the demonic champion’s life swiftly, demonstrating the futility of arrogance before the Supreme Lord and clearing the path to Kaṃsa’s fall.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Removal of violent agents of adharma; affirmation of the Lord’s inevitable victory.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Before Hari, worldly might is momentary; death comes as swiftly as an instant to the arrogant who oppose dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Cultivate humility and detachment from power; measure strength by alignment with dharma and devotion rather than dominance.

Vishishtadvaita: The finite self’s power is dependent, while the Lord alone is svatantra (independent); recognizing this dependency fosters śaraṇāgati.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Krishna)
• Cāṇūra

FAQs

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

It marks the swift collapse of adharma when it confronts Hari directly—evil strength lasts only “moment by moment” before the Lord’s sovereignty.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine power in this episode?

By narrating that the very duration of the contest measures Cāṇūra’s remaining life; the Lord’s presence determines the limit of worldly power.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu (Hari) here?

Hari is shown as the supreme controller of prāṇa and destiny; the verse frames Kṛṣṇa’s act not as mere human victory but as divine governance.