Shloka 15
प्रद्युम्न-अपहरणम्, मत्स्य-उद्धारः, मायावती-शिक्षा, शम्बरवधः, रुक्मिणी-पुत्र-संगमः
सा चास्मै कथयाम् आस न पुत्रस् त्वं ममेति वै तनयं त्वाम् अयं विष्णोर् हृतवान् कालशम्बरः
sā cāsmai kathayām āsa na putras tvaṃ mameti vai tanayaṃ tvām ayaṃ viṣṇor hṛtavān kālaśambaraḥ
She then told him, “Truly, you are not my son. You are Vishnu’s son; it was this Kāla-Śambara who stole you away.”
Mayadevi (the woman who raised him, revealing his true identity)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Vishnu has descended as Krishna to protect dharma and defeat demonic forces that threaten the Yadus and the cosmic order.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Protection of Vishnu’s lineage (Yadava continuity) and the safeguarding of divine order against asuric abduction and deception.
Concept: True identity is grounded in one’s relation to Bhagavān, not merely in worldly parentage or circumstance.
Vedantic Theme: Atman
Application: Cultivate remembrance of one’s spiritual belonging to the Divine even amid life’s disruptions and false labels.
Vishishtadvaita: The jīva’s enduring dependence (śeṣatva) upon Vishnu is affirmed through relational identity—belonging to Him even when worldly ties are obscured.
Vamsha: Chandra
Key Kings: Vishnu, Pradyumna, Kāla-Śambara
Vishnu Form: Vishnu
Vyuha Form: Pradyumna
FAQs
It affirms that Krishna’s lineage is not merely royal but divinely rooted—Vishnu’s sovereignty operates through avatara family history, making the recovery of the child a matter of cosmic order, not only personal loss.
The verse marks a turning point where mistaken identity (being raised as another’s child) is corrected by truthful disclosure, showing that dharma is restored through right knowledge aligned with Vishnu’s will.
Vishnu is presented as the supreme ground of protection and rightful lineage; even when demonic forces disrupt the world, the narrative implies that Vishnu’s order ultimately reasserts itself through revelation and restoration.