Shloka 5

Jarāsandha’s Sieges and the Lord’s Human-Conforming Strategy

Rāja-dharma as Līlā

Devanagari script

ततो रामश् च कृष्णश् च चक्राते मतिम् उत्तमाम् आयुधानां पुराणानाम् आदाने मुनिसत्तम

Transliteration

tato rāmaś ca kṛṣṇaś ca cakrāte matim uttamām āyudhānāṃ purāṇānām ādāne munisattama

Translation

Then Rāma (Balarāma) and Kṛṣṇa, O best of sages, devised an excellent plan to take up their ancient weapons.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — temporal adverb; “thereupon/then”

• rāmaḥ: Rama (Balarama)
• rāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) — conjunction “and”

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

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) — conjunction “and”

• cakrāte: they made/formed
• cakrāte: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन — present indicative, 3rd person dual, Ātmanepada; धातु: कृ “to do/make”

• matim: a plan, intention
• matim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — feminine accusative singular

• uttamām: excellent, best
• uttamām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — feminine accusative singular; विशेषण (qualifying) of “matim”

• āyudhānām: of weapons
• āyudhānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyudha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन — neuter genitive plural

• purāṇānām: ancient, old
• purāṇānām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन — neuter genitive plural; विशेषण of “āyudhānām”

• ādāne: in the taking/obtaining
• ādāne: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — neuter locative singular; “in/for the taking”

• munisattama: O best of sages
• munisattama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन — masculine vocative singular; समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष “munīnām sattamaḥ”

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To lighten the earth’s burden by protecting dharma and destroying oppressive kings and asuras through divine līlā.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Protection of righteous kings and the kṣatriya order; removal of tyranny obstructing yajña and royal dharma

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Characters & Entities

• Balarama (Rama)
• Krishna
• Maitreya

FAQs

What is the significance of Balarama and Krishna taking up “ancient weapons” in the Vishnu Purana?

It signals the deliberate reactivation of divine sovereignty—timeless instruments of dharma are reclaimed when cosmic order requires decisive intervention.

How does Sage Parasara frame Krishna’s actions in this episode?

Parasara presents them as intentional and strategic—avatars act with clear resolve (mati) to protect order, not as ordinary warriors driven by impulse.

What is the theological importance of Vishnu in this context?

Krishna, as Vishnu’s avatara, embodies supreme governance: even martial preparation becomes a dharmic act aligned with preserving the world’s moral and cosmic balance.