Shloka 48

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

Devanagari script

क्षणेन नाभवत् कश्चिद् यादवानाम् अघातितः ऋते कृष्णं महाबाहुं दारुकं च महामुने

Transliteration

kṣaṇena nābhavat kaścid yādavānām aghātitaḥ ṛte kṛṣṇaṃ mahābāhuṃ dārukaṃ ca mahāmune

Translation

In but a moment, O great sage, not a single Yādava remained unstruck—save mighty-armed Kṛṣṇa alone, and Dāruka.

Word by Word

• क्षणेन: in a moment
• क्षणेन: Kriya-visheshana (Time-instrument/काल-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case/करण), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• अभवत्: there was, became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• कश्चित्: anyone, someone
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case/कर्ता), एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक (indefinite)

• यादवानाम्: of the Yādavas
• यादवानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यादव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• अघातितः: not slain, unharmed
• अघातितः: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घातय् (घाति/हन्-णिच्) (धातु)
• Form: नञ्-पूर्वक क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle with negation), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ऋते: except
• ऋते: Apadana/Exception (Exclusion/अपवाद)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ऋते (अव्यय)
• Form: अपवादार्थक-अव्यय (excepting; governs accusative)

• कृष्णम्: Krishna
• कृष्णम्: Apavada (Exception object/अपवाद्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• महाबाहुम्: mighty-armed
• महाबाहुम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + बाहु (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् बाहुः यस्य/महाबाहुः)

• दारुकम्: Dāruka
• दारुकम्: Apavada (Exception object/अपवाद्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दारुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• महामुने: O great sage
• महामुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + मुनि (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् मुनिः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya; addressing him as “mahāmune”)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Kṛṣṇa remains unharmed as the sole survivor besides Dāruka, underscoring that the avatāra is not bound by the destruction unfolding around him.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Closure of the avatāra’s manifest chapter while preserving the Lord’s sovereignty and the transmission of the aftermath through Dāruka

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord is untouched by the rise and fall of beings; destruction occurs within time, while the Supreme remains the uninjured ground of order.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: In crisis, anchor the mind in the unchanging divine; serve as a truthful witness like Dāruka rather than being swept into collective frenzy.

Vishishtadvaita: Distinction-in-unity: jīvas perish by karma, yet remain within the Lord’s body; the Lord’s transcendence and immanence are both affirmed without collapsing them.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Vamsha: Chandra

Key Kings: Kṛṣṇa, Dāruka, Yādavas

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Daruka

FAQs

What is the significance of the destruction of the Yadavas in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse marks the near-total end of the Yādava clan, emphasizing that worldly power and even sacred dynasties dissolve by time—while Kṛṣṇa, the Lord, remains sovereign and untouched.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine control over catastrophic events here?

By stating that none remained unstruck except Kṛṣṇa and Dāruka, Parāśara frames the event as an irresistible unfolding of destiny under the Lord’s governance, not a mere political tragedy.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu (as Krishna) in this context?

Kṛṣṇa stands apart from the destruction, signaling Vishnu’s transcendence: His incarnate presence operates as līlā within history, yet His supreme nature is not subject to death or defeat.