Shloka 8

नरकासुरवधः, अदीतिकुण्डल-प्रत्यर्पणम्, तथा भारावतरण-लीला

Devanagari script

भौमो ऽयं नरको नाम प्राग्ज्योतिषपुरेश्वरः करोति सर्वभूतानाम् उपघातम् अरिंदम

Transliteration

bhaumo 'yaṃ narako nāma prāgjyotiṣapureśvaraḥ karoti sarvabhūtānām upaghātam ariṃdama

Translation

O subduer of foes, this Naraka—known as Bhauma, lord of the city of Prāgjyotiṣa—is inflicting grievous harm upon all living beings.

Word by Word

• भौमः: Bhāuma (son of Earth)
• भौमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भौम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• नरकः: Naraka
• नरकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Viśeṣaṇa (Appositive marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नामार्थक निपात (particle meaning ‘by name’)

• प्राग्ज्योतिषपुरेश्वरः: lord of the city Prāgjyotiṣa
• प्राग्ज्योतिषपुरेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राग्ज्योतिष (प्रातिपदिक) + पुर (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘प्राग्ज्योतिषपुरस्य ईश्वरः’)

• करोति: does, causes
• करोति: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• सर्वभूतानाम्: of all beings
• सर्वभूतानाम्: Sampradana/Adhikarana (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘सर्वाणि भूतानि’)

• उपघातम्: harm, injury
• उपघातम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपघात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अरिंदम: O subduer of foes
• अरिंदम: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरिंदम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Kṛṣṇa is called to destroy Naraka (Bhauma) whose tyranny harms all beings and disrupts the divinely upheld order.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Safety of creatures and restoration of righteous rule under Viṣṇu’s sovereignty

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Adharma is identified by its universal harm (sarvabhūtānām upaghāta), warranting decisive protection by the Lord’s righteous power.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Assess actions by their impact on all beings; oppose systems that cause broad harm, using proportionate and dharmic means.

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is grounded in the Lord’s sovereignty: the world is His domain, and protection of beings is an expression of His immanent governance.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Naraka (Bhauma)
• Prāgjyotiṣa (city/kingdom)

FAQs

What is the significance of Naraka (Bhauma) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames Naraka as a sovereign of Prāgjyotiṣa whose rule becomes oppressive to all beings, setting the moral and narrative ground for divine correction and the restoration of dharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the problem of unjust kingship here?

By highlighting harm to “sarva-bhūtas,” Parāśara depicts tyranny not merely as political failure but as a cosmic violation that demands rebalancing within Viṣṇu’s overarching governance of order.

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

Even when Viṣṇu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇic logic is clear: the Supreme sustains dharma, and widespread injury to beings signals a breakdown that ultimately falls under Viṣṇu’s protective sovereignty.