Shloka 31
साम्ब-हरणम्, बलदेवस्य रोषः, हस्तिनापुर-आकर्षणम्
इत्य् उक्त्वा मदरक्ताक्षः कर्षणाधोमुखं हलम् प्राकारवप्रे विन्यस्य चकर्ष मुसलायुधः
ity uktvā madaraktākṣaḥ karṣaṇādhomukhaṃ halam prākāravapre vinyasya cakarṣa musalāyudhaḥ
Having spoken thus, the strong one—his eyes reddened with intoxicated fury—set his plough with its blade turned downward upon the city’s rampart and, mace in hand, dragged it, tearing at the very fortifications.
Sage Parashara (narrating to Maitreya)
Vishnu Form: Hari
Vyuha Form: Sankarshana
FAQs
In this verse the hala is not agricultural but sovereign and cosmic: Balarama uses it to physically uproot a city’s defenses, symbolizing divine power that reorders space and society when dharma is resisted.
Parashara presents it as a direct continuation of Balarama’s declaration (“having spoken thus”), emphasizing immediate, decisive action—speech followed by world-altering deed—typical of avatara narratives.
Even when the verse names Balarama’s weapons rather than Vishnu explicitly, the Purana’s theology reads such acts as the Supreme Lord’s governance expressed through his manifestations—protecting order by subduing opposition.