Shloka 1

बाणयुद्धम्, हरिहरसंवादः, ज्वरप्रकरणम्, अनिरुद्धमोचनम्

Bāṇa’s War, the Jvara Episode, Hari–Hara Dialogue, and Aniruddha’s Release

Devanagari script

बाणो ऽपि प्रणिपत्याग्रे मैत्रेयाह त्रिलोचनम् देव बाहुसहस्रेण निर्विण्णो ऽहं विनाहवम्

Transliteration

bāṇo 'pi praṇipatyāgre maitreyāha trilocanam deva bāhusahasreṇa nirviṇṇo 'haṃ vināhavam

Translation

Bāṇa too, having first bowed down in reverence, said to Maitreya of the Three‑eyed Lord: “O Deva, though I possess a thousand arms, I have grown weary; without battle my spirit finds no rest.”

Word by Word

• बाणः: Bāṇa
• बाणः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: सम्बन्ध/निपात
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) — ‘also/even’

• प्रणिपत्य: having prostrated
• प्रणिपत्य: पूर्वकालक्रिया (Absolutive relation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + नि + √पत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund) — ‘having bowed down’

• अग्रे: in front
• अग्रे: देशाधिकरण (Adverbial location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगवत्; सप्तमी-रूपेण क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial locative) — ‘in front/at first’

• मैत्रेय: O Maitreya
• मैत्रेय: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• आह: said
• आह: क्रिया (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अह्/√ब्रू (धातु; ‘to say’)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• त्रिलोचनम्: the three-eyed one (Śiva)
• त्रिलोचनम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्या) + लोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः — ‘यस्य त्रयः लोचनानि सः’ (three-eyed one)

• देव: O god, O lord
• देव: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• बाहुसहस्रेण: with a thousand arms
• बाहुसहस्रेण: करण/हेतु (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाहु (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः — ‘बाहूनां सहस्रम्’

• निर्विण्णः: weary, dejected
• निर्विण्णः: कर्ता-विशेषण (Predicate of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् + √विद् (धातु; ‘to be weary/disgusted’)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (predicate adjective)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विना: without
• विना: सम्बन्ध (Exclusion)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गसदृश-निपात (preposition) — ‘without’; सामान्यतः तृतीया/द्वितीया-सह

• आहवम्: battle, combat
• आहवम्: विना-सम्बद्ध कर्म (Object with ‘without’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आहव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrative voice (Parasara) reporting Bāṇa’s speech; direct speaker in the verse: Bāṇa addressing Trilocana (Śiva).

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To protect his devotees and uphold dharma by subduing hostile kings and their allies who oppose the Yādavas.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Protection of the Yādava order and restraint of unchecked kṣātra-violence.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Unrestrained craving for combat reveals rājasic bondage, where power becomes a burden without righteous purpose.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Channel ambition and strength into dharmic service rather than thrill-seeking aggression.

Vishishtadvaita: Moral order is sustained under Bhagavān’s governance; individual agency must align with the divine will (śeṣatva).

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Bāṇa
• Trilocana (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the significance of Bāṇa bowing to Trilocana (Śiva) in the Vishnu Purana?

It shows Purāṇic etiquette and hierarchy of reverence: even powerful beings approach a deity with humility, and the Vishnu Purana can depict Śiva as a revered divine figure within its broader Vaiṣṇava framework.

How does the narrative frame Bāṇa’s restlessness (“without battle I am weary”)?

The verse portrays a warrior-like temperament where martial engagement is treated as a sustaining impulse; this sets up ensuing events where divine will channels such impulses into a larger dharmic outcome.

What is the theological takeaway regarding supreme sovereignty in this context?

Even when a character appeals to Śiva for combat, the Purāṇic storyline ultimately places all power and outcomes under cosmic order—within the Vishnu Purana, that order culminates in Viṣṇu’s overarching sovereignty.