Shloka 38
पौण्ड्रक-वधः, कृत्या-प्रशमनम्, वाराणसी-दाहः
चक्रप्रतापविध्वस्ता कृत्या माहेश्वरी तदा ननाश वेगिनी वेगात् तद् अप्य् अनुजगाम ताम्
cakrapratāpavidhvastā kṛtyā māheśvarī tadā nanāśa veginī vegāt tad apy anujagāma tām
Then the Maheshvarī kṛtyā—shattered by the overpowering might of the Discus—fled at once, swift as a storm; yet that divine force pursued her without relenting.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Teaching: Historical
Quality: authoritative
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Krishna’s Sudarśana breaks the Śaiva kṛtyā’s force, driving it into flight and preventing its destructive intent.
Leela: Yuddha
Dharma Restored: Subordination of destructive, misdirected ritual power to the higher dharmic guardianship of Viṣṇu.
Concept: Power aligned with harm collapses before dharmic divine might; even ‘sanctioned’ forces (māheśvarī) cannot legitimize adharma.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Evaluate means as well as ends: religious or ideological power used for vengeance rebounds; choose dharmic restraint and protection.
Vishishtadvaita: All deities and their energies operate within the supreme ordination of Nārāyaṇa, who ensures the moral order of the cosmos.
Vishnu Form: Hari
FAQs
In this verse, the Chakra’s irresistible power breaks and drives away the Maheshvarī kṛtyā, showing Vishnu’s divine instrument as a force that restores order by neutralizing destructive powers.
Parāśara frames such forces as effective only until confronted by higher divine authority; here, the Chakra’s might overwhelms the kṛtyā, and the narrative emphasizes inevitable subordination to the supreme cosmic protector.
The episode underscores Vishnu’s sovereignty: even powers associated with other deities (the Maheshvarī kṛtyā) cannot stand against the divine order upheld through Vishnu’s supreme agency.