Shloka 65

कुब्जानुग्रहः, धनुर्भङ्गः, कुवलयापीडवधः, मल्लयुद्धं, कंसवधः, स्तुतयः

Devanagari script

बलदेवो ऽपि तत्कालं मुष्टिकेन महाबलः युयुधे दैत्यमल्लेन चाणूरेण यथा हरिः

Transliteration

baladevo 'pi tatkālaṃ muṣṭikena mahābalaḥ yuyudhe daityamallena cāṇūreṇa yathā hariḥ

Translation

At that very moment, mighty Baladeva too engaged in combat with the powerful wrestler Muṣṭika—just as Hari (Krishna), the Supreme Lord, fought with the demon-wrestler Cāṇūra.

Word by Word

• बलदेवः: Baladeva
• बलदेवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (particle: also/even)

• तत्कालम्: at that time
• तत्कालम्: Kriya-viseshana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमासः; क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb) ‘at that time’

• मुष्टिकेन: with Muṣṭika
• मुष्टिकेन: Sahakari/Instrument (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुष्टिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• महाबलः: very strong
• महाबलः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (पूर्वपद) + बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः ‘great-strong’

• युयुधे: fought
• युयुधे: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युध् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• दैत्यमल्लेन: with the demon wrestler
• दैत्यमल्लेन: Saha (Opponent/सह—युद्धे प्रतिपक्षः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + मल्ल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः ‘demon-wrestler’

• चाणूरेण: with Cāṇūra
• चाणूरेण: Saha (Opponent/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चाणूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• यथा: as
• यथा: Upamana (Comparison marker/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक अव्यय (comparative particle: as/like)

• हरिः: Hari (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)
• हरिः: Karta (Subject of comparison/उपमेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To eradicate Kaṃsa’s champions through the paired might of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, safeguarding dharma and the Yādava community.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Removal of violent oppression and protection of righteous society

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Baladeva (Balarama)
• Muṣṭika
• Cāṇūra
• Hari (Krishna/Vishnu)

FAQs

What is the significance of the wrestling match in the Vishnu Purana?

It dramatizes the restoration of dharma: Krishna (Hari) and Baladeva confront and overcome forces aligned with Kamsa, showing divine sovereignty acting within the human world.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the roles of Krishna and Baladeva here?

Parāśara narrates them acting simultaneously—Baladeva fights Muṣṭika while Hari (Krishna) fights Cāṇūra—presenting coordinated divine action to dismantle adharma in Mathura.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

By naming Krishna as Hari, the verse signals that the human hero is Vishnu Himself—the Supreme who enacts protection of the world through avatara-lila.