Shloka 24

वंशवर्णनम्, अनिरुद्धविवाहः, तथा बलराम-रुक्मी द्यूतविवादः

Devanagari script

कलिङ्गराजं चादाय विस्फुरन्तं बलाद् बलः बभञ्ज दन्तान् कुपितो यैः प्रकाशं जहास सः

Transliteration

kaliṅgarājaṃ cādāya visphurantaṃ balād balaḥ babhañja dantān kupito yaiḥ prakāśaṃ jahāsa saḥ

Translation

Seizing the king of Kaliṅga as he writhed, Bala, in wrath, shattered his teeth by sheer force; and by the flash of that bared whiteness, the king seemed to laugh—grimly and against his will.

Word by Word

• kaliṅga-rājam: the king of Kaliṅga
• kaliṅga-rājam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaliṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa (kaliṅgānāṃ rājā)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction particle (समुच्चय-निपात)

• ādāya: having seized/taken
• ādāya: Sambandha (Prior action/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + dā (धातु) + lyap (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Absolutive/gerund (ल्यप्-कृदन्त), avyaya (अव्ययभाव)

• visphurantam: trembling/thrashing
• visphurantam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + sphur (धातु) + śatṛ (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ-कृदन्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies kaliṅgarājam

• balāt: by force/forcibly
• balāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• balaḥ: Bala (Baladeva)
• balaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• babhañja: broke
• babhañja: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhañj (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• dantān: teeth
• dantān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: danta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• kupitaḥ: angered
• kupitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kup (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Past participle used adjectivally (क्त-कृदन्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies balaḥ

• yaiḥ: by which (teeth)
• yaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun (यद्-प्रातिपदिक), Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुं), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• prakāśam: openly/aloud
• prakāśam: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prakāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya used adverbially (क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोग)

• jahāsa: laughed
• jahāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: has (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Derision of dharma rebounds as disgrace; pride that laughs at righteousness is forcibly corrected by consequences.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Avoid complicity in injustice and public mockery; align speech and support with truth, especially in group settings.

Vishishtadvaita: Divine order operates through embodied agents; the Lord’s protection of dharma may manifest as corrective force within history.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Vyuha Form: Sankarshana

Characters & Entities

• Bala
• Kaliṅga King
• Kaliṅga (region/kingdom)

FAQs

What is the significance of this violent episode in the Vishnu Purana’s dynasty narratives?

It dramatizes the volatility of royal power and the consequences of conflict, reinforcing that kingship is tested through force, restraint, and dharma within the larger Purāṇic account of worldly order.

How does Sage Parāśara present historical lineage material to Maitreya here?

Parāśara interweaves genealogical continuity with vivid incidents—like this clash—to make lineage history memorable while still serving the Purāṇa’s broader moral and cosmological frame.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in a given verse, the dynasty section is ultimately situated within Vishnu’s overarching sovereignty: worldly kings rise, contend, and fall under the higher order sustained by the Supreme Reality.