Shloka 11
बलरामस्य वारुणी-प्रसङ्गः, यमुनाकर्षणम्, लक्ष्मी-प्रदत्त-विभूषणम्, रेवती-विवाहः
साकृष्टा सहसा तेन मार्गं संत्यज्य निम्नगा यत्रास्ते बलभद्रो ऽसौ प्लावयाम् आस तद् वनम्
sākṛṣṭā sahasā tena mārgaṃ saṃtyajya nimnagā yatrāste balabhadro 'sau plāvayām āsa tad vanam
Dragged at once by him, the river abandoned her former course, turned to where Balabhadra stood, and flooded that woodland on every side.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Balarāma, as the Lord’s avatāric expansion, subdues the Yamunā and redirects her flow to assert divine sovereignty and restore orderly conduct in sacred space.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Restoration of maryādā—rightful deference to the Lord’s presence and proper course/order in the land.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
Vyuha Form: Sankarshana
FAQs
It portrays divine authority over the natural order—rivers and landscapes themselves respond to the will of the Lord’s manifestation, establishing sacred space and demonstrating Bhagavan’s sovereignty.
Parāśara narrates it as an immediate, forceful consequence of Balabhadra’s action: the river is pulled away from her path and made to flow to his location, emphasizing irresistible divine command within the story.
Though the verse names Balabhadra, the Purana’s frame treats such acts as expressions of the Supreme Reality’s governance—Bhagavan’s power sustaining and directing the cosmos, even through playful līlā.