Shloka 2

Kālayavana’s Rise, Dvārakā’s Founding, and Muchukunda’s Awakening (Śaraṇāgati & Brahman-Stuti)

Devanagari script

ततः कोपसमाविष्टो दक्षिणापथम् एत्य सः सुतम् इच्छंस् तपस् तेपे यदुचक्रभयावहम्

Transliteration

tataḥ kopasamāviṣṭo dakṣiṇāpatham etya saḥ sutam icchaṃs tapas tepe yaducakrabhayāvaham

Translation

Then, seized by wrath, he went to the southern region; longing for a son, he performed a fierce austerity, so dreadful that to all who opposed his resolve it was like the fearsome Yadu-disc.

Word by Word

• ततः: thereafter; from there
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘ततः’ = ‘तस्मात्/तदनन्तरम्’ (from there/thereafter)

• कोप-समाविष्टः: overcome by anger
• कोप-समाविष्टः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोप (प्रातिपदिक) + समा-√विश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत् विशेषण; ‘कोपेन समाविष्टः’ (possessed/overcome by anger)

• दक्षिणा-पथम्: the southern path (southward region)
• दक्षिणा-पथम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक) + पथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘दक्षिणायाः पथः’/‘दक्षिणदेशमार्गः’ (southern route/Deccan)

• एत्य: having gone
• एत्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √इ (धातु) + ल्यप् (क्त्वान्त/अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (क्त्वार्थक) — ‘गत्वा/आगत्य’ (having gone/after going)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• सुतम्: a son
• सुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• इच्छन्: desiring
• इच्छन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √इष्/इच्छ् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वर्तमानकालिक शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; ‘इच्छन्’ = desiring

• तपः: austerity; penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन (रूपम्: तपः)

• तेपे: performed (austerities)
• तेपे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘तप्’ = performed austerity

• यदु-चक्र-भय-आवहम्: bringing fear of Yadu’s discus
• यदु-चक्र-भय-आवहम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यदु (प्रातिपदिक) + चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + भय (प्रातिपदिक) + आवह (प्रातिपदिक; √वह् + णिच्/अण्-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘तपः’ इत्यस्य — ‘यदूनां चक्रस्य भयम् आवहति’ (bringing fear of Yadu’s discus)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To protect the Yādavas and re-establish kṣatriya-dharma by neutralizing Kālayavana’s impending aggression against Mathurā and the Lord’s devotees.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Protection of the sādhus/Yādava polity and restraint of adharma-driven conquest.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Tapas empowered by anger and ego becomes socially fear-producing and tends toward adharma, unlike tapas offered in devotion and restraint.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate discipline (tapas) with sattvic intention—self-purification and service—rather than using willpower to dominate outcomes.

Vishishtadvaita: Power and agency are meaningful only when aligned to the Lord’s order (niyati); misaligned effort yields bondage-producing consequences.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Yadu (Yadu lineage / Yādavas)

FAQs

What is the significance of tapas (austerity) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It shows tapas as a world-shaping power: a king’s ascetic heat can compel destiny itself—here, aimed at securing progeny and strengthening a dynastic line.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of desire for a son in dynasty narratives?

Parāśara frames it as a recurring dynastic engine: the longing for heirs drives vows, pilgrimages, and austerities that generate successors and alter the course of royal genealogy.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s worldview assumes that the fruits of tapas and the unfolding of dynasties occur within Vishnu’s sovereign cosmic order (dharma and niyati upheld by the Supreme).