Shloka 15

Hari’s Boon to Muchukunda, Security of the Yādus, and Balarāma’s Consolation in Vraja

Viraha-Bhakti

Devanagari script

अथ वा किं तदालापैर् अपरा क्रियतां कथा यस्यास्माभिर् विना तेन विनास्माकं भविष्यति

Transliteration

atha vā kiṃ tadālāpair aparā kriyatāṃ kathā yasyāsmābhir vinā tena vināsmākaṃ bhaviṣyati

Translation

Or else—what is the use of such talk? Let another course be taken, another tale set in motion; for without us he will not endure, and without him we too shall have no future.

Word by Word

• अथ: then, now
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तर/विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive: or)

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अत्र प्रश्नार्थे (what use?)

• तत्-आलापैः: with those conversations
• तत्-आलापैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + आलाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘तैः आलापैः’ (with those talks)

• अपरा: something else
• अपरा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘other (thing/way)’

• क्रियताम्: let (it) be done
• क्रियताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• कथा: talk, topic
• कथा: Karma/Predicate (What is to be done/कर्म-भाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यस्याः: of which
• यस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (of which)

• अस्माभिः: by us
• अस्माभिः: Kartr/Agent in comparison (Instrumental/तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• विना: without
• विना: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादानार्थक-अव्यय (preposition-like indeclinable: without; governs instrumental/accusative)

• तेन: by him; with him
• तेन: Kartr/Agent in comparison (Instrumental/तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• विना: without
• विना: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादानार्थक-अव्यय (without)

• अस्माकम्: of us
• अस्माकम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• भविष्यति: will be, will happen
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Dynastic interlocutors within the kingly narrative (embedded speech reported by Sage Parāśara to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: He descends to draw souls into exclusive dependence, where life itself feels impossible without the Lord’s presence.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Primacy of single-minded devotion (ananya-bhakti) over all other supports.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The devotee’s identity and future are experienced as inseparable from the Lord—separation feels like existential loss.

Vedantic Theme: Atman

Application: In crisis, redirect obsessive rumination into disciplined devotion (kīrtana, prayer, seva), acknowledging dependence while choosing constructive action.

Vishishtadvaita: The jīva’s śeṣatva (dependence) on Bhagavān is existentially real; the verse dramatizes the jīva’s inability to ‘stand’ apart from the Lord.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

FAQs

What is the significance of mutual dependence in this Vishnu Purana verse?

The verse highlights a pragmatic insight: political allies (or key figures) can be so interlinked that the fall of one threatens the survival and future of the other, urging decisive action over empty debate.

How does Sage Parāśara explain dialogue and decision-making in dynastic episodes?

Through embedded speech in genealogical narratives, Parāśara shows how counsel shifts from argument to action when outcomes hinge on interdependent relationships and immediate strategy.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even in political and dynastic scenes, the Purana ultimately frames worldly sovereignty and continuity as contingent—standing in contrast to Vishnu’s supreme, unconditioned reality that underlies and outlasts all temporal power.