Shloka 23

साम्ब-हरणम्, बलदेवस्य रोषः, हस्तिनापुर-आकर्षणम्

Devanagari script

अहो मदावलेपो ऽयम् असाराणां दुरात्मनाम् कौरवाणाम् आधिपत्यम् अस्माकं किल कालजम् उग्रसेनस्य येनाज्ञां मन्यन्ते ऽद्यापि लङ्घनम्

Transliteration

aho madāvalepo 'yam asārāṇāṃ durātmanām kauravāṇām ādhipatyam asmākaṃ kila kālajam ugrasenasya yenājñāṃ manyante 'dyāpi laṅghanam

Translation

Ah—what drunken pride possesses those hollow, wicked Kauravas! They imagine that, with time, sovereignty has ‘ripened’ into a right for them; and in that delusion they still deem it proper to overstep Ugrasena’s command.

Word by Word

• aho: alas!/oh!
• aho: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aho (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विस्मयादि-निपात (exclamatory particle)

• madāvalepaḥ: arrogance due to intoxication/pride
• madāvalepaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mada (प्रातिपदिक) + avalepa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मदेन अवलेपः), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• ayam: this
• ayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• asārāṇām: of the worthless
• asārāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: asāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (जनवाचक-सम्बन्धे), षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• durātmanām: of the evil-souled
• durātmanām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठī)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (दुष्ट आत्मा), पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• kauravāṇām: of the Kauravas
• kauravāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठī)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaurava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• ādhipatyam: sovereignty, overlordship
• ādhipatyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādhipatya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• asmākam: of us, our
• asmākam: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठī)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• kila: indeed, as is said
• kila: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kila (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, खलु/किल (emphatic/quotative particle)

• kālajam: born of time, time-produced
• kālajam: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कालात् जातम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ādhipatyasya विशेषणम्

• ugrasenasya: of Ugrasena
• ugrasenasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठī)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ugrasena (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• yena: by which
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; हेतु/करणार्थे (by which/whereby)

• ājñām: command, order
• ājñām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ājñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• manyante: they consider
• manyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √man (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• adya_api: even today, still now
• adya_api: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय) + api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय-द्वयम्; adya = कालवाचक (today/now), api = अपि (even/still)

• laṅghanam: transgression, violation
• laṅghanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: laṅghana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्रियावाचक-नाम (act-noun)

Speaker

A Yadava/Vrishni elder in the narrative (as recounted by Sage Parashara to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To expose and subdue Kaurava arrogance that violates rightful command, thereby stabilizing dharma in kingship.

Leela: Dharma-upadesa

Dharma Restored: Rāja-dharma: legitimacy, obedience to just command, and rejection of tyranny rooted in mere longevity of power.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Power that persists through time does not become moral right; dharma requires rightful authority and humility rather than pride.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Treat long-held privilege as accountable to ethics; obey legitimate, dharmic governance and resist normalization of injustice.

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is upheld as the Lord’s will in society; Kṛṣṇa’s intervention shows divine governance working through righteous order.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Vamsha: Chandra

Dharma Exemplar: Legitimate kingship (rāja-dharma) grounded in authority and restraint

Key Kings: Ugrasena

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Ugrasena

FAQs

What is the significance of Ugrasena’s command in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It presents Ugrasena as the benchmark of legitimate authority, implying that political power is valid only when aligned with rightful kingship and dharma—not merely because time has passed.

How does the Vishnu Purana frame the idea that rule can become ‘legitimate’ over time (kālaja)?

The verse rejects the notion that duration alone sanctifies power; it portrays such thinking as prideful delusion that leads to violating rightful authority.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context, even though he is not named here?

In the Vishnu Purana’s worldview, Vishnu is the Supreme Reality who sustains order; narratives about rightful kingship and the rebuke of arrogant rulers implicitly affirm Vishnu’s role as the ground of dharma and cosmic governance.