Shloka 13

अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः

Devanagari script

ततो लोभः समभवत् पार्थेनैकेन धन्विना दृष्ट्वा स्त्रियो नीयमाना दस्यूनां निहतेश्वराः

Transliteration

tato lobhaḥ samabhavat pārthenaikena dhanvinā dṛṣṭvā striyo nīyamānā dasyūnāṃ nihateśvarāḥ

Translation

Then greed arose—when Pārtha, the lone archer, beheld women being carried off; the dāsyus, their leaders slain, were left without a lord and fell into grasping desire.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Discourse link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/अनन्तर्यवाचक-अव्यय (then/thereupon)

• lobhaḥ: greed
• lobhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lobha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• samabhavat: arose
• samabhavat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• pārthena: by Partha
• pārthena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन (instrumental)

• ekena: alone; single
• ekena: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (qualifying dhanvinā)

• dhanvinā: by the archer
• dhanvinā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanvin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental: ‘by the archer’)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya (Non-finite/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund): ‘having seen’

• striyaḥ: women
• striyaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन (accusative plural)

• nīyamānāḥ: being led away
• nīyamānāḥ: Kriya (Participial/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √nī (धातु)
• Form: शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि कृदन्त (present passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्गे ‘नीयमानाः’ इति पाठे पुंलिङ्ग-बहुवचनरूपं; अपेक्षितं ‘नीयमानाः’ (being led away), प्रथमा बहुवचन (agreeing with implied ‘te’/‘dasyavaḥ’)

• dasyūnām: of the bandits
• dasyūnām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dasyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (genitive plural)

• nihata-īśvarāḥ: whose chiefs were slain
• nihata-īśvarāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nihata (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहि (‘निहत ईश्वरः येषाम्’ = whose leaders were slain)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Moral decline after Kṛṣṇa’s departure: how greed and disorder arise among men.

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: revealing

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: By withdrawing His manifest protection, Kṛṣṇa allows Kali’s symptoms—greed and social breakdown—to surface, revealing the need for dharma and devotion.

Leela: Dharma-upadesa (teaching)

Dharma Restored: Recognition of the necessity of dharma; warning-signs of decline rather than immediate restoration.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When rightful authority collapses, lobha quickly spreads and society turns to exploitation, especially of the vulnerable.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Strengthen ethical institutions and personal restraint; protect those at risk of exploitation; treat greed as a spiritual disease requiring discipline.

Vishishtadvaita: Moral order is part of Bhagavān’s governance of His embodied cosmos; when devotion wanes, dharma-fracture manifests socially.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Vamsha: Chandra

Dharma Exemplar: Kṣātra vigilance (protecting the weak)

Key Kings: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna (personal)

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Pārtha
• Dasyus

FAQs

What is the significance of greed (lobha) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

The verse frames lobha as a social consequence of violence and lawlessness: once leadership is destroyed and women are seized, desire turns predatory and order collapses.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the breakdown of sovereignty here?

By the phrase nihateśvarāḥ, Parāśara signals that when rulers are slain, groups become ungoverned—making exploitation (like carrying off women) and greed more likely.

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

Even when not named, the Purāṇic lesson aligns with Vaiṣṇava dharma: preservation of order and protection of the vulnerable reflect Vishnu’s sustaining principle, which righteous kings and heroes are meant to embody.