Shloka 5

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

Devanagari script

तं कालयवनं नाम राज्ये स्वे यवनेश्वरः अभिषिच्य वनं यातो वज्राग्रकठिनोरसम्

Transliteration

taṃ kālayavanaṃ nāma rājye sve yavaneśvaraḥ abhiṣicya vanaṃ yāto vajrāgrakaṭhinorasam

Translation

Having anointed to his own throne the one named Kālayavana, the lord of the Yavanas withdrew to the forest—his chest firm and unyielding, hard as the point of a thunderbolt.

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• काल-यवनम्: Kālayavana
• काल-यवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + यवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; नामधेय (proper name)

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (Appositive marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात; ‘named/called’)

• राज्ये: in the kingdom
• राज्ये: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (in the kingdom)

• स्वे: his own
• स्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक; स्वकीय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘राज्ये’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (in his own)

• यवन-ईश्वरः: the lord of the Yavanas
• यवन-ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यवन (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘यवनानाम् ईश्वरः’

• अभिषिच्य: having anointed (crowned)
• अभिषिच्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अभि-√सिच् (धातु) + ल्यप्
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (क्त्वार्थक) — ‘अभिषेकं कृत्वा’ (having anointed/crowned)

• वनम्: to the forest
• वनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• यातः: went
• यातः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृत्; क्रियापद-प्रयोग (has gone/went)

• वज्र-अग्र-कठिन-उरसम्: having a chest hard like a thunderbolt’s point
• वज्र-अग्र-कठिन-उरसम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वज्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक) + कठिन (प्रातिपदिक) + उरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समास; ‘वज्राग्रवत् कठिनम् उरः यस्य’ इति अर्थे विशेषणम् (describing the person, i.e., Kālayavana)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To later remove the newly enthroned Kālayavana whose militarized ambition threatens Mathurā and the Yādava clan.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Security of the Yādavas and restraint of adharmic expansionism.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Power transfers (rājya-abhiṣeka) shape the moral fate of peoples; a ruler’s hardness of heart can foreshadow oppressive reign.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: In leadership transitions, prioritize character and restraint over mere strength; cultivate accountability before authority is conferred.

Vishishtadvaita: Kingly authority is a delegated function within the Lord’s cosmic order; when severed from dharma, it becomes a cause of collective suffering.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Key Kings: Kālayavana

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Kālayavana
• Yavaneśvara (King of the Yavanas)
• Yavanas

FAQs

What is the significance of Kālayavana being anointed to the throne in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents a formal transfer of sovereignty—Kālayavana’s rule is established through consecration, marking dynastic continuity and political order within the Purāṇic genealogy.

How does Sage Parāśara frame kingship and renunciation in this passage?

Parāśara depicts the Yavana king as first securing the kingdom through anointing a successor, then withdrawing to the forest—linking royal duty with the ideal of disciplined renunciation after fulfilling worldly responsibility.

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

Even in a seemingly historical succession note, the Vishnu Purana’s dynastic record functions as a map of dharma and order ultimately upheld by Vishnu, the supreme regulator of time, kingship, and legitimate rule.