Shloka 79

कुब्जानुग्रहः, धनुर्भङ्गः, कुवलयापीडवधः, मल्लयुद्धं, कंसवधः, स्तुतयः

Devanagari script

ततो हाहाकृतं सर्वम् आसीत् तद् रङ्गमण्डलम् अवज्ञया हतं दृष्ट्वा कृष्णेन मथुरेश्वरम्

Transliteration

tato hāhākṛtaṃ sarvam āsīt tad raṅgamaṇḍalam avajñayā hataṃ dṛṣṭvā kṛṣṇena mathureśvaram

Translation

Then the whole arena-circle erupted in cries of alarm; for they saw the lord of Mathurā struck down by Kṛṣṇa as though in utter disregard, and at once the spectacle turned to tumult.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• hāhā-kṛtam: filled with cries of ‘hāhā’
• hāhā-kṛtam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hāhā (अव्यय/उद्गार) + √kṛ (कृ धातु) + क्त
• Form: अव्ययीभाव समास (‘with cries of hāhā’), कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — agreeing with sarvam

• sarvam: everything; the whole (place)
• sarvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• āsīt: was
• āsīt: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — ‘was’

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — demonstrative agreeing with raṅgamaṇḍalam

• raṅga-maṇḍalam: the arena enclosure
• raṅga-maṇḍalam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता; apposition to sarvam)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + maṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (षष्ठी/संबन्ध: ‘arena-circle’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• avajñayā: with contempt, disdainfully
• avajñayā: Hetu/Instrument (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: avajñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular (manner/cause)

• hatam: killed/struck down
• hatam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √han (हन् धातु) + क्त
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — object of dṛṣṭvā

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (दृश् धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (क्त्वा), ‘having seen’

• kṛṣṇena: by Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇena: Karana (Agent in passive sense/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• mathurā-īśvaram: the lord of Mathurā (Kaṃsa)
• mathurā-īśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mathurā (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (षष्ठी: ‘lord of Mathurā’), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Kṛṣṇa descends to end Kaṃsa’s oppressive reign and reestablish righteous order in Mathurā.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Public overthrow of adharma-backed kingship and release of the oppressed

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Kamsa (Mathureśvara)
• Mathura
• Ranga-mandala (arena)

FAQs

What is the significance of the arena’s ‘hāhā-kāra’ (cry of alarm) in the Vishnu Purana?

It marks the instant reversal of power—when adharma embodied by Kamsa collapses and the public witnesses the decisive sovereignty of Krishna.

How does Sage Parāśara frame Krishna’s action as ‘avajñayā’ (in disregard)?

Parāśara’s wording suggests that for the Supreme, the tyrant’s worldly authority is weightless—Krishna overturns it as effortlessly as dismissing a mere pretense of power.

What is the theological importance of Vishnu/Krishna in this context?

Krishna’s act functions as avatāra-dharma: the Supreme Reality enters history to end oppression and re-establish cosmic order, revealing that kingship is subordinate to the divine will.