Shloka 39

पौण्ड्रक-वधः, कृत्या-प्रशमनम्, वाराणसी-दाहः

Devanagari script

कृत्या वाराणसीम् एव प्रविवेश त्वरान्विता विष्णुचक्रप्रतिहतप्रभावा मुनिसत्तम

Transliteration

kṛtyā vārāṇasīm eva praviveśa tvarānvitā viṣṇucakrapratihataprabhāvā munisattama

Translation

O best of sages, the Kṛtyā—her power shattered by the discus of Lord Viṣṇu—hurriedly entered Vārāṇasī itself.

Word by Word

• कृत्या: the kṛtyā
• कृत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वाराणसीम्: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसीम्: Karman (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नगरनाम (proper noun)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphasis/only)

• प्रविवेश: entered
• प्रविवेश: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-विश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• त्वरान्विता: accompanied by haste
• त्वरान्विता: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वरा (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्वित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—'त्वरया अन्विता' (endowed with haste); विशेषणम् (qualifying कृत्या)

• विष्णुचक्रप्रतिहतप्रभावा: whose power was repelled by Viṣṇu's discus
• विष्णुचक्रप्रतिहतप्रभावा: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रतिहत (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त) + प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—'विष्णोः चक्रेण प्रतिहतः प्रभावः यस्याः' (whose power was checked by Viṣṇu's discus); विशेषणम् (qualifying कृत्या)

• मुनिसत्तम: O best of sages
• मुनिसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—'मुनिषु सत्तमः' (best among sages)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: compassionate

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Krishna’s Sudarśana forces the weakened kṛtyā to retreat into Vārāṇasī, containing and neutralizing its threat.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Containment of destructive force and the reaffirmation that sacred cities too are under the higher protection and judgment of Viṣṇu’s order.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sacred status does not license adharma: harmful acts recoil, and divine protection can penetrate even the most revered strongholds of sectarian power.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Do not rely on ‘holy’ identity or place as a shield for wrongdoing; cultivate integrity so that one’s refuge is dharma itself.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s protective sovereignty operates across all spaces—tīrthas included—affirming immanence without diminishing transcendence.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Kritya
• Varanasi (Kashi)

FAQs

What is the significance of Kṛtyā in the Vishnu Purana?

Kṛtyā represents a weaponized ritual force (sorcery) whose failure here underscores that hostile rites cannot prevail against Viṣṇu’s higher sovereignty.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the defeat of destructive magic in this episode?

By showing that the moment Viṣṇu’s discus repels it, the Kṛtyā loses efficacy and is driven into flight—narratively establishing divine protection as the final law over all ritual power.

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

Viṣṇu is presented as the Supreme Reality whose will, expressed through Sudarśana, nullifies lesser powers and restores the moral order that dharma requires.