Shloka 18

अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः

Devanagari script

ततो यष्टिप्रहरणा दस्यवो लोप्त्रहारिणः सहस्रशो ऽभ्यधावन्त तं जनं निहतेश्वरम्

Transliteration

tato yaṣṭipraharaṇā dasyavo loptrahāriṇaḥ sahasraśo 'bhyadhāvanta taṃ janaṃ nihateśvaram

Translation

Then, armed with clubs, bandits—plunderers who lived by theft—rushed in by the thousands upon that people, now left without a protector, their lord having been slain.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereupon)

• यष्टिप्रहरणाः: stick-wielding (men)
• यष्टिप्रहरणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यष्टि + प्रहरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; यष्टिः प्रहरणं येषाम् (armed with sticks)

• दस्यवः: bandits, robbers
• दस्यवः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दस्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• लोप्त्रहारिणः: loot-stealers
• लोप्त्रहारिणः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोप्त्र + हारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; लोप्त्रं हरन्ति इति (plunderers)

• सहस्रशः: by the thousand
• सहस्रशः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, परिमाणार्थक/वितरणार्थक (by thousands)

• अभ्यधावन्त: ran towards, charged
• अभ्यधावन्त: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-धाव् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• तम्: that (man)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• जनम्: person, man
• जनम्: Karma (Object apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• निहतेश्वरम्: whose leader was slain
• निहतेश्वरम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निहत + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषभावः—निहतः ईश्वरः यस्य (whose lord/leader is slain)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When legitimate guardianship is removed, predatory forces multiply, and society’s weak become immediate targets.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Strengthen just institutions and personal responsibility for protection of dependents; do not assume safety is permanent.

Vishishtadvaita: Order (ṛta/dharma) is sustained by the Lord; its erosion manifests as adharma and insecurity in the world.

Characters & Entities

• Bandits (dasyu)

FAQs

What is the significance of a slain ruler (nihateśvara) in the Vishnu Purana’s political theology?

This verse frames kingship as protective sovereignty: when the ruler falls, public order collapses and predatory forces quickly overwhelm society.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the breakdown of social order in dynasty narratives?

By showing cause-and-effect: the loss of rightful protection leads immediately to fear, plunder, and the dominance of adharmic actors like dasyus.

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

Implicitly, Vishnu is the ultimate ground of order (dharma); when worldly sovereignty fails, the Purana points to divine sovereignty as the enduring source of stability and restoration.