Shloka 21
बाणयुद्धम्, हरिहरसंवादः, ज्वरप्रकरणम्, अनिरुद्धमोचनम्
Bāṇa’s War, the Jvara Episode, Hari–Hara Dialogue, and Aniruddha’s Release
ततः समस्तसैन्येन दैतेयानां बलेः सुतः युयुधे शंकरश् चैव कार्तिकेयश् च शौरिणा
tataḥ samastasainyena daiteyānāṃ baleḥ sutaḥ yuyudhe śaṃkaraś caiva kārtikeyaś ca śauriṇā
Then Bali’s son, foremost among the Daityas, advanced with his entire host to fight; and Śaṅkara himself, and Kārtikeya as well, battled against Śauri (Kṛṣṇa).
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Escalation of the battle involving Daityas and major devas (Śiva, Kārtikeya) against Śauri.
Teaching: Historical
Quality: revealing (hierarchy among deities implied through narrative)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Kṛṣṇa confronts the Daitya host led by Bali’s son, even as Śaṅkara and Kārtikeya enter the fray, demonstrating the Lord’s higher sovereignty amid divine powers.
Leela: Yuddha
Dharma Restored: Containment of asuric aggression and reaffirmation that all divine agencies operate under the Supreme’s ordinance.
Concept: Even the greatest devas may appear as combatants, yet the Supreme Lord remains the ultimate sovereign in whom all powers are grounded.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Hold a clear hierarchy in worship: honor devas, but take ultimate refuge in Nārāyaṇa/Kṛṣṇa as the final protector and goal.
Vishishtadvaita: Qualified non-dualism accommodates real divine plurality while maintaining Nārāyaṇa’s supremacy as inner ruler and source of all śaktis.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
FAQs
It frames a cosmic-scale conflict where even great devas enter the fray, while the narrative ultimately affirms that dharma is restored under the higher sovereignty of Viṣṇu manifest as Kṛṣṇa.
Parāśara recounts the sequence of combatants entering battle—Daitya forces first, then major divine figures—presenting the episode as a historical-cosmic event within Kṛṣṇa’s līlā and the maintenance of universal order.
Kṛṣṇa is portrayed as the decisive upholder of dharma; even when opposed by powerful divine beings, the Purāṇic theology places Viṣṇu’s will as the final harmonizing principle behind cosmic events.