Shloka 60

कुब्जानुग्रहः, धनुर्भङ्गः, कुवलयापीडवधः, मल्लयुद्धं, कंसवधः, स्तुतयः

Devanagari script

मृदङ्गादिषु तूर्येषु प्रतिषिद्धेषु तत्क्षणात् खे संगतान्य् अवाद्यन्त देवतूर्याण्य् अनेकशः

Transliteration

mṛdaṅgādiṣu tūryeṣu pratiṣiddheṣu tatkṣaṇāt khe saṃgatāny avādyanta devatūryāṇy anekaśaḥ

Translation

When the earthly instruments—mṛdaṅgas and the like—were forbidden, at that very instant in the open sky many divine instruments of the gods gathered and resounded again and again.

Word by Word

• मृदङ्गादिषु: among drums and the like
• मृदङ्गादिषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृदङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural); अव्ययीभाव: मृदङ्ग-आदि-षु = ‘among drums etc.’

• तूर्येषु: in/among the instruments
• तूर्येषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• प्रतिषिद्धेषु: when (they were) prohibited
• प्रतिषिद्धेषु: Adhikarana (Circumstance/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रति-षिध् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle, क्त), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural), नपुंसक; ‘when (they were) forbidden’

• तत्क्षणात्: immediately
• तत्क्षणात्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्ययीभाव: तत्-क्षणात् = ‘immediately/at that moment’ (ablatival adverb)

• खे: in the sky
• खे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• संगतानि: assembled, gathered
• संगतानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle, क्त), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural), नपुंसकलिङ्ग

• अवाद्यन्त: were played/sounded
• अवाद्यन्त: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-वाद् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद

• देवतूर्याणि: divine instruments
• देवतूर्याणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + तूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: देवानां तूर्याणि (divine instruments)

• अनेकशः: in many ways, repeatedly
• अनेकशः: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनेकशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Krishna’s victory is affirmed by the devas, signaling divine sanction for the removal of Kaṃsa’s demonic order.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Cosmic approval of dharma: devas celebrate the Lord’s protection of the world

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When worldly power suppresses celebration of the good, the divine order itself responds—supporting the Lord’s work beyond human control.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Do not measure spiritual success by external approval; trust that dharma has unseen support and continue devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: The cosmos (devas and higher realms) coheres around the Lord’s personal action within the world.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Devas (gods)

FAQs

What is the significance of divine instruments sounding in the sky in the Vishnu Purana?

It functions as a supernatural omen: when human music is stopped, the gods themselves manifest approval or a turning point in the narrative through celestial sound.

How does Sage Parāśara explain this event in the dialogue with Maitreya?

Parāśara presents it as immediate divine response within the story—an instant shift from human action (prohibition) to cosmic reaction (deva-tūrya resounding), showing the gods’ participation in worldly events.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇic worldview implies a divinely governed order where celestial signs uphold dharma—ultimately under the supreme sovereignty that Vaishnava tradition attributes to Vishnu.