Shloka 24

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

Devanagari script

मुचुकुन्दो ऽपि तत्रासौ वृद्धगर्गवचो ऽस्मरत्

Transliteration

mucukundo 'pi tatrāsau vṛddhagargavaco 'smarat

Translation

There, Muchukunda too—right in that moment—remembered the words once spoken by the aged sage Garga.

Word by Word

• mucukundaḥ: Mucukunda
• mucukundaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mucukunda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक निपात (also)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb: there)

• asau: that (man)
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक सर्वनाम

• vṛddha-garga-vacaḥ: the words of old Garga
• vṛddha-garga-vacaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛddha + garga + vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘vṛddhasya gargasya vacaḥ’ (the words of the aged Garga)

• asmarat: remembered
• asmarat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √smṛ/स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sage Parashara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To be recognized through prophetic testimony and to draw the devotee-king into conscious surrender.

Leela: Dharma-upadesa

Dharma Restored: Restoration of right recognition (pratyabhijñā) of the Lord’s presence in līlā.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Remembrance of śāstra and saintly words becomes the bridge from mere seeing to true knowing of the Lord.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Keep sacred teachings close (study, japa, satsanga) so that crises become moments of awakening rather than confusion.

Vishishtadvaita: Grace operates through mediated means—guru/ṛṣi-vākya—guiding the jīva to recognize the Lord standing before it.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Muchukunda
• Garga (sage)

FAQs

What is the significance of Muchukunda remembering Garga’s words in the Vishnu Purana?

It marks the turning point where prior sage-counsel/foreknowledge becomes spiritually operative, guiding Muchukunda’s response to the unfolding divine event.

How does Sage Parashara explain the role of sages like Garga in Krishna’s narrative?

Through brief cues like this, Parashara shows sages as authoritative witnesses whose words align human action with the larger divine order that Krishna embodies.

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

Even when not named in this single line, the verse supports the Purana’s theme that Krishna’s līlā unfolds under the Supreme Lord’s sovereignty, with remembrance of dharmic counsel enabling beings to participate rightly in that order.