Shloka 1

साम्ब-हरणम्, बलदेवस्य रोषः, हस्तिनापुर-आकर्षणम्

Devanagari script

भूय एवाहम् इच्छामि बलभद्रस्य धीमतः श्रोतुं पराक्रमं ब्रह्मन् तन् ममाख्यातुम् अर्हसि

Transliteration

bhūya evāham icchāmi balabhadrasya dhīmataḥ śrotuṃ parākramaṃ brahman tan mamākhyātum arhasi

Translation

Once again, O venerable sage, I wish to hear of the valorous deeds of the wise Balabhadra. Be pleased to relate them to me.

Word by Word

• bhūyaḥ: again, further
• bhūyaḥ: Kāla/Prakāra-adhikaraṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyas (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुनरर्थक-अव्ययम् (adverb: ‘again, further’)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्ययम् (emphatic particle)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-प्रत्ययार्थक सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्

• icchāmi: I wish, I desire
• icchāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √iṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), उत्तमपुरुषः (1st person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• balabhadrasya: of Balabhadra
• balabhadrasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-संबन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: balabhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचनम्

• dhīmataḥ: of the wise/intelligent (one)
• dhīmataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-संबन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhīmat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचनम् — विशेषणम् (बलभद्रस्य)

• śrotum: to hear
• śrotum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्तम् (infinitive) — ‘to hear’

• parākramam: valor, prowess
• parākramam: Karman (Object/कर्म) — श्रोतुम्
• Type: Noun
• Root: parākrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्

• brahman: O Brahmin / O sage
• brahman: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचनम्

• tat: that
• tat: Karman (Object/कर्म) — आख्यातुम्
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्

• mama: to me / my
• mama: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान) — ‘to me’ (genitive used for dative sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचनम् — सर्वनाम

• ākhyātum: to narrate
• ākhyātum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√khyā (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्तम् (infinitive) — ‘to tell, to relate’

• arhasi: you ought / you are fit
• arhasi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √arh (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), मध्यमपुरुषः (2nd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Maitreya (requesting), addressed to Sage Parāśara

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Maitreya

Topic: Request to hear again the valorous deeds (parākrama) of wise Balabhadra/Balarāma

Teaching: Historical

Quality: reverential, inquiry-driven

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Balabhadra (Balarama)
• Maitreya
• Sage Parāśara

FAQs

What is the significance of Balabhadra (Balarama) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse shows Maitreya explicitly seeking Balabhadra’s parākrama, marking him as a major divine agent within the Yadava narrative—an incarnation associated with sustaining dharma alongside Krishna.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine exploits in the Vishnu Purana’s narrative frame?

Through a disciple–teacher dialogue: Maitreya asks focused questions, and Parāśara narrates the deeds, linking heroic events to cosmic purpose and the maintenance of universal order.

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

Even when the verse names Balabhadra, the Purana’s theology treats such deeds as expressions of Vishnu’s sovereign power through avatāra activity, where divine intervention restores balance and dharma.