Shloka 6

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

Rāja-dharma as Līlā

Devanagari script

अनन्तरं हरेः शार्ङ्गं तूणौ चाक्षयसायकौ आकाशाद् आगतौ विप्र तथा कौमोदकी गदा

Transliteration

anantaraṃ hareḥ śārṅgaṃ tūṇau cākṣayasāyakau ākāśād āgatau vipra tathā kaumodakī gadā

Translation

Thereafter, O brahmin, Hari’s bow Śārṅga, together with two quivers filled with inexhaustible arrows, descended from the sky; and so too came the mace Kaumodakī.

Word by Word

• anantaram: immediately thereafter
• anantaram: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — temporal adverb; accusative used adverbially “immediately/afterwards”

• hareḥ: of Hari (Vishnu/Krishna)
• hareḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन — masculine genitive singular

• śārṅgam: Śārṅga (the bow)
• śārṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śārṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — neuter accusative singular

• tūṇau: two quivers
• tūṇau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tūṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), द्विवचन — masculine accusative dual

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

• akṣayasāyakau: two inexhaustible arrows
• akṣayasāyakau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akṣaya + sāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), द्विवचन — masculine accusative dual; समास: कर्मधारय “akṣayau sāyakau”

• ākāśāt: from the sky
• ākāśāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन — neuter ablative singular

• āgatau: came
• āgatau: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + gam (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन — perfect, 3rd person dual; धातु: गम् “to go/come” with उपसर्ग आ-

• vipra: O brahmin
• vipra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन — masculine vocative singular

• tathā: likewise, also
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/उपमानबोधक) — “also/likewise”

• kaumodakī: Kaumodakī (the mace)
• kaumodakī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaumodakī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — feminine nominative singular

• gadā: mace
• gadā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gadā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — feminine nominative singular; apposition to “kaumodakī”

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: revealing

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To manifest divine sovereignty in the world by wielding celestial weapons for the protection of dharma.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Kṣatriya-protection and the safeguarding of righteous rule under Bhagavān’s supremacy

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Bhagavān’s aiśvarya (sovereign power) becomes visible in history, confirming Him as the refuge and protector of the devoted.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate remembrance of Hari’s protecting power during adversity, replacing anxiety with śaraṇāgati (taking refuge).

Vishishtadvaita: The transcendent Lord freely manifests immanent protection in the world through concrete signs (weapons) without ceasing to be supreme.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Vishnu/Krishna)
• Śārṅga (divine bow)
• Akṣaya-sāyaka (inexhaustible arrows)
• Kaumodakī (divine mace)
• Vipra (brahmin addressee)

FAQs

What is the significance of Śārṅga and Kaumodakī in the Vishnu Purana?

They signify Hari’s royal sovereignty and protective power—divine instruments through which the Supreme Lord upholds dharma and subdues disorder.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine intervention in this episode?

By describing the weapons themselves descending from the sky, Parāśara frames the event as a direct manifestation of the Lord’s will, not merely human effort or chance.

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

Vishnu (Hari) is presented as the Supreme Reality whose inexhaustible resources and authority become visible in the world whenever cosmic order requires protection.