Shloka 37

यादवक्षयः, बलराम-निर्याणम्, कृष्णस्य उपसंहारः (प्रभासे विनाशः)

Devanagari script

प्राप्य प्रभासं प्रयताः स्नातास् ते कुकुरान्धकाः चक्रुस् तत्र मुदा पानं वासुदेवानुमोदिताः

Transliteration

prāpya prabhāsaṃ prayatāḥ snātās te kukurāndhakāḥ cakrus tatra mudā pānaṃ vāsudevānumoditāḥ

Translation

Having reached Prabhāsa, the disciplined Kukuras and Andhakas bathed there according to rite; then, with uplifted hearts, they began to drink in celebration—by Vāsudeva’s own consent.

Word by Word

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) — ‘having reached’

• प्रभासम्: Prabhāsa
• प्रभासम्: Karma (Goal as object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रयताः: self-restrained
• प्रयताः: Visheshana (Qualifier of te)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रयत (प्रातिपदिक; √यत् सेव्यते)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) — पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘नियता/संयता’ (disciplined)

• स्नाताः: having bathed
• स्नाताः: Visheshana (Qualifier of te)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्नात (प्रातिपदिक; √स्ना)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) — पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘having bathed’

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• कुकुरान्धकाः: the Kukuras and Andhakas
• कुकुरान्धकाः: Karta (Apposition to subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुकुर + अन्धक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, बहुवचन — जाति/गोत्रसमूह (Kukuras and Andhakas)

• चक्रुः: did/made
• चक्रुः: Kriya (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘there’

• मुदा: with joy
• मुदा: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — ‘with joy’ (भावे करण)

• पानम्: drinking
• पानम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• वासुदेवानुमोदिताः: approved by Vāsudeva
• वासुदेवानुमोदिताः: Visheshana (Qualifier of te)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वासुदेव + अनुमोदित (प्रातिपदिक; अनु√मुद्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) — पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘वासुदेवेन अनुमोदिताः’ (approved by Vāsudeva)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: What the Yādavas did upon reaching Prabhāsa and how Vāsudeva assented.

Teaching: Historical

Quality: revealing

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Kṛṣṇa permits the Yādavas’ celebratory drinking after their tīrtha-bath, allowing the destined chain of events to unfold toward the conclusion of His līlā.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Cosmic timing: the Lord’s orderly withdrawal and the removal of an over-mighty clan from the earth’s burden.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: External ritual discipline without inner restraint can quickly collapse into heedlessness when passions are given license.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Pair religious observance with sobriety and mindful speech; avoid settings that inflame ego after moments of devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s will governs outcomes even amid human choices, yet moral causality operates through conduct (speech, restraint) within His ordinance.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Vasudeva

Vyuha Form: Vasudeva

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Vāsudeva (Krishna)
• Kukura clan
• Andhaka clan

FAQs

What is the significance of Prabhāsa in the Vishnu Purana?

Prabhāsa is a pivotal sacred site where the Yādavas assemble, perform ritual bathing, and the narrative turns toward their destined end—marking a transition in cosmic order as Krishna’s earthly līlā concludes.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of destiny in the Yadavas’ actions here?

By stating that the drinking was “approved by Vāsudeva,” the text frames the event as part of an inevitable divine unfolding—human choices occur, yet within the sovereignty of the Lord’s larger design.

What is the theological importance of Vāsudeva’s approval in this context?

It underscores Krishna/Vishnu as the supreme governor of events: even seemingly ordinary or morally risky actions are situated within the Lord’s orchestration of dissolution and renewal in the world-cycle.