Shloka 7

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

Rāja-dharma as Līlā

Devanagari script

हलं च बलभद्रस्य गगनाद् आगतं ज्वलत् मनसाभिमतं विप्र सौनन्दं मुसलं तथा

Transliteration

halaṃ ca balabhadrasya gaganād āgataṃ jvalat manasābhimataṃ vipra saunandaṃ musalaṃ tathā

Translation

And for Balabhadra, a blazing ploughshare descended from the sky—exactly as he had willed it; and likewise, O brahmin, the Saunanda mace came to him.

Word by Word

• halam: the plough (weapon)
• halam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — neuter nom./acc. singular (here subject with participle)

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

• balabhadrasya: of Balabhadra (Balarama)
• balabhadrasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: balabhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन — masculine genitive singular

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

• āgatam: having come, arrived
• āgatam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Kridanta
• Root: ā + gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृदन्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — past participle “come”; agrees with “halam”

• jvalat: blazing, shining
• jvalat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Kridanta
• Root: jval (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (वर्तमानकृदन्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — present participle “blazing”; qualifies “halam”

• manasā: by the mind, mentally
• manasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — neuter instrumental singular

• abhimatam: desired, wished-for
• abhimatam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Kridanta
• Root: abhi + man (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (भूतकृदन्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — “desired/approved”; qualifies “halam”

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

• saunandam: Saunanda (named/epithet)
• saunandam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saunanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — neuter nom./acc. singular; विशेषण of “musalam” (name/epithet)

• musalam: club, pestle-weapon
• musalam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: musala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — neuter nom./acc. singular

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

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To uphold dharma with His brother Balabhadra, whose divine weapons signify the Lord’s protective power operating through līlā.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Protection of the Yādavas and the righteous political order

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Divine will (saṅkalpa) is efficacious: the Lord’s associates and powers manifest outwardly in exact accord with inner intention.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice focused saṅkalpa aligned with dharma—steady intention, supported by prayer, strengthens disciplined action.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s śakti and attendants (parivāra) participate in worldly events, expressing divine immanence without diminishing transcendence.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Vasudeva

Vyuha Form: Sankarshana

Characters & Entities

• Balabhadra (Balarama)
• Saunanda (mace)
• Hala (plough weapon)

FAQs

What is the significance of Balarama’s plough (hala) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents the hala as a divinely manifested weapon that descends from the sky in response to Balabhadra’s will, marking him as an avatara endowed with cosmic authority.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the arrival of divine weapons here?

Parāśara narrates that the weapons appear ‘as desired in the mind’ (manasābhimata), emphasizing the superhuman, divinely sanctioned power operating through the avatara form.

What is the theological importance of Vishnu in this context?

Within the Krishna–Balarama cycle, the effortless manifestation of celestial weapons underscores the sovereignty of the divine order upheld by Vishnu, expressed through his incarnational associates and their ordained roles.