Shloka 80

कुब्जानुग्रहः, धनुर्भङ्गः, कुवलयापीडवधः, मल्लयुद्धं, कंसवधः, स्तुतयः

Devanagari script

कृष्णो ऽपि वसुदेवस्य पादौ जग्राह सत्वरः देवक्याश् च महाबाहुर् बलदेवसहायवान्

Transliteration

kṛṣṇo 'pi vasudevasya pādau jagrāha satvaraḥ devakyāś ca mahābāhur baladevasahāyavān

Translation

Kṛṣṇa too, without delay, bowed down and clasped the feet of Vasudeva; and that mighty-armed Lord—supported by Balarāma—likewise honored Devakī with reverent devotion.

Word by Word

• kṛṣṇaḥ: Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• api: also
• api: Sambandha/Emphasis (Nipāta)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: also/even)

• vasudevasya: of Vasudeva
• vasudevasya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasudeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular

• pādau: (his) two feet
• pādau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), द्विवचन — Accusative dual

• jagrāha: took, grasped
• jagrāha: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (ग्रह् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — ‘took/seized’

• satvaraḥ: quickly
• satvaraḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: satvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — used adverbially ‘quickly’

• devakyāḥ: of Devakī
• devakyāḥ: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devakī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• mahā-bāhuḥ: mighty-armed
• mahā-bāhuḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bāhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय समास (‘great-armed’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — epithet of kṛṣṇaḥ

• baladeva-sahāya-vān: having Baladeva as an ally
• baladeva-sahāya-vān: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: baladeva (प्रातिपदिक) + sahāya (प्रातिपदिक) + -vat (मतुप् प्रत्यय)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (‘having Baladeva as helper’) + मतुप् (वन्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — epithet of kṛṣṇaḥ

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Having removed Kaṃsa, Kṛṣṇa reveals ideal dharma by honoring Vasudeva and Devakī as parents while remaining the Lord who sustains cosmic order.

Leela: Dharma-upadesa

Dharma Restored: Filial reverence, social order, and protection of the Yadu household

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even the Supreme Lord, while independent, models dharma by honoring parents and upholding social righteousness.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate gratitude and service to parents/elders as a concrete expression of devotion and moral discipline.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord freely enters relational roles (son, protector) without losing sovereignty—immanence with transcendence.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Vatsalya

Vyuha Form: Vasudeva

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Vasudeva
• Devaki
• Balarama (Baladeva)

FAQs

What is the significance of Krishna taking Vasudeva’s feet in the Vishnu Purana?

It highlights dharma and humility: even as the divine avatāra, Krishna exemplifies reverence to parents, teaching that cosmic sovereignty expresses itself through righteous conduct.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the avatāra’s behavior in human relationships?

Through narrative, Parāśara shows that the Lord enters the world yet upholds social and moral order—acting as son and protector while remaining the Supreme Reality behind all.

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

The verse frames Krishna as both immanent and transcendent: the Supreme who sustains the universe, yet who honors dharma in embodied life, aligning with Vaishnava devotional theology.