Shloka 54

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

Devanagari script

वाच्यश् च द्वारकावासी जनः सर्वस् तथाहुकः यथेमां नगरीं सर्वां समुद्रः प्लावयिष्यति

Transliteration

vācyaś ca dvārakāvāsī janaḥ sarvas tathāhukaḥ yathemāṃ nagarīṃ sarvāṃ samudraḥ plāvayiṣyati

Translation

And Ahuka, together with all the people dwelling in Dvārakā, was to be informed: “In this very manner, the ocean will soon inundate this entire city.”

Word by Word

• vācyaḥ: should be told/instructed
• vācyaḥ: Kriya (Obligation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: कृत्-प्रत्यय: यत् (gerundive/भाव्य), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'to be told/should be addressed'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• dvārakāvāsī: an inhabitant of Dvārakā
• dvārakāvāsī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvārakā + vāsin (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः: द्वारकायां वासी (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष)

• janaḥ: people/person
• janaḥ: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sarvaḥ: all, every
• sarvaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'all/every' (विशेषण)

• tathā: and also
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/तुल्यताबोधक)

• āhukaḥ: Āhuka (a person named)
• āhukaḥ: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āhuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (नामविशेषः)

• yathā: how, that
• yathā: Sambandha (Clause marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान/प्रकारवाचक; here introducing clause 'how/that')

• imām: this
• imām: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'this' (विशेषण)

• nagarīm: city
• nagarīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nagarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• sarvām: entire, all
• sarvām: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'entire' (विशेषण)

• samudraḥ: the sea
• samudraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• plāvayiṣyati: will flood, will inundate
• plāvayiṣyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √plu (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदी; णिच् (causative) भावः — 'will cause to float/flood'

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Kṛṣṇa ensures the people of Dvārakā are warned and relocated as the ocean reclaims the city after the avatāra’s withdrawal.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Protection of devotees and orderly evacuation; closure of the sacred city’s manifest phase

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even the most glorious sacred city is subject to time; one should not cling to worldly forms but to the Lord who transcends them.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Hold possessions and status lightly; prioritize devotion and ethical responsibility, especially during transitions and losses.

Vishishtadvaita: Impermanence applies to worldly configurations, while the Lord and the soul’s dependence on Him remain enduring; devotion is the stable refuge amid change.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Vamsha: Chandra

Dharma Exemplar: Rakṣa (protective leadership/care for subjects)

Key Kings: Ahuka

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Vyuha Form: Vasudeva

Lakshmi Presence: Sri

Characters & Entities

• Ahuka
• Dvaraka
• Ocean (Samudra)
• Yadavas (implied)

FAQs

What is the significance of Dvārakā’s submergence in the Vishnu Purana?

It signals the closing of Krishna’s earthly līlā and shows that even divine-founded cities are subject to time and cosmic order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the coming flood of Dvārakā here?

He presents it as a message to be conveyed to Ahuka and all residents: the ocean will inundate the city, prompting departure in accordance with destiny.

What is Lord Vishnu’s theological importance in this context?

Though not named in the verse, the episode frames Krishna (Vishnu) as the sovereign over cosmic transitions—his withdrawal coincides with the reordering of the world under kāla.