Shloka 21
साम्ब-हरणम्, बलदेवस्य रोषः, हस्तिनापुर-आकर्षणम्
ततो विदारिता पृथ्वी पार्ष्णिघातान् महात्मनः आस्फोटयाम् आस तदा दिशः शब्देन पूरयन्
tato vidāritā pṛthvī pārṣṇighātān mahātmanaḥ āsphoṭayām āsa tadā diśaḥ śabdena pūrayan
Then the earth split open beneath the heel-strikes of that great-souled one; he stamped again and again, and the thunder of that sound filled all the quarters.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: To curb Kaurava adharma and re-establish rightful sovereignty under Yādava authority aligned with dharma.
Leela: Yuddha
Dharma Restored: Kṣatriya-dharma and just kingship under legitimate authority (Ugrasena’s command).
Vishnu Form: Krishna
FAQs
It functions as a Purāṇic sign of overwhelming might—an event-scale description that frames the hero’s action as world-affecting, not merely personal.
Parāśara narrates sovereignty as something that visibly impacts the cosmos—sound, tremors, and the quarters of space responding—implying rule is tied to maintaining (or disrupting) cosmic order.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Vishnu Purana’s dynastic history is ultimately read under Vishnu’s supreme governance—world-shaking events occur within the larger providential order upheld by Hari.