Shloka 9
नरकासुरवधः, अदीतिकुण्डल-प्रत्यर्पणम्, तथा भारावतरण-लीला
देवसिद्धासुरादीनां नृपाणां च जनार्दन हृत्वा हि सो ऽसुरः कन्या रुरोध निजमन्दिरे
devasiddhāsurādīnāṃ nṛpāṇāṃ ca janārdana hṛtvā hi so 'suraḥ kanyā rurodha nijamandire
O Janārdana, even in the presence of gods, Siddhas, Asuras, and kings, that Asura seized the maiden and confined her within his own palace.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Kṛṣṇa is invoked to punish Naraka’s outrage—abduction and unlawful confinement—thereby protecting honor, social order, and cosmic propriety.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Protection of women and royal/deva order; restraint of asuric lawlessness
Concept: Adharma manifests as contempt for moral restraints even before witnesses; dharma requires protection of the vulnerable and accountability of power.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Stand against coercion and exploitation; build institutions that protect dignity and prevent impunity.
Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s protection extends to social ethics; the cosmic ruler safeguards concrete human dignity, not merely abstract metaphysics.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
Bhakti Type: Dasya
FAQs
Addressing Vishnu as Janārdana frames the event as a violation of the Lord’s cosmic order—implying that adharma, even when publicly enacted, ultimately falls under the Supreme’s corrective sovereignty.
By stating that the Asura abducted and imprisoned the maiden despite the presence of gods and kings, Parāśara highlights adharma as brazen and disruptive, setting the stage for restoration through rightful power aligned with Vishnu.
Vishnu is implied as the ultimate guardian of moral and cosmic law: when oppressive power transgresses dharma, the narrative points toward Vishnu’s supremacy as the ground of justice and restoration.