Shloka 8

साम्ब-हरणम्, बलदेवस्य रोषः, हस्तिनापुर-आकर्षणम्

Devanagari script

बलदेवस् ततो गत्वा नगरं नागसाह्वयम् बाह्योपवनमध्ये ऽभून् न विवेश च तत् पुरम्

Transliteration

baladevas tato gatvā nagaraṃ nāgasāhvayam bāhyopavanamadhye 'bhūn na viveśa ca tat puram

Translation

Then Baladeva went to the city called Nāgasāhvaya; yet he did not enter that town, but remained amid the outer pleasure-groves.

Word by Word

• baladevaḥ: Baladeva
• baladevaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (Bala who is a deva) नाम

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), अर्थः—ततः (then/thereupon)

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय-भावकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकाल (having gone)

• nagaram: to the city
• nagaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nagara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• nāga-sāhvayam: called Nāgasāhvaya
• nāga-sāhvayam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक) + sāhvaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (having the name ‘Nāga’) विशेषण (of nagaram)

• bāhya-upavana-madhye: in the middle of the outer garden
• bāhya-upavana-madhye: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāhya (प्रातिपदिक) + upavana (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (in the middle of the outer grove)

• abhūt: he stayed/was
• abhūt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist/Imperfective past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• viveśa: entered
• viveśa: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√viś (विश् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (and)

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण (of puram)

• puram: city (fortified town)
• puram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Power guided by timing and self-restraint preserves order more effectively than immediate display of might.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: In high-stakes disputes, choose a neutral meeting place and control escalation by deliberate pacing.

Vishishtadvaita: The divine-aligned hero embodies niyama and maryādā—immanent governance of conduct within worldly institutions.

Characters & Entities

• Baladeva (Balarama)
• Nāgasāhvaya (a city-name)

FAQs

What is the significance of Baladeva staying outside the city in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It highlights deliberate restraint and strategic timing: Baladeva reaches the destination but chooses not to enter, suggesting controlled power aligned with dharma and circumstance.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the flow of events in this section of the Vishnu Purana?

Parāśara narrates sequentially and geographically—who went where, and what they chose to do—so Maitreya can track the unfolding conflict and its moral-political stakes.

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

Even when the verse names Baladeva, the larger frame is Vaishnava: divine agency operates through measured, purposeful action—power is not mere force but an instrument of cosmic order under the Supreme Reality.