Shloka 2

अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः

Devanagari script

अष्टौ महिष्यः कथिता रुक्मिणीप्रमुखास् तु याः उपगुह्य हरेर् देहं विविशुस् ता हुताशनम्

Transliteration

aṣṭau mahiṣyaḥ kathitā rukmiṇīpramukhās tu yāḥ upaguhya harer dehaṃ viviśus tā hutāśanam

Translation

Those eight royal queens—foremost among them Rukmiṇī—embraced Hari’s body and entered the sacred fire, following him beyond the mortal realm.

Word by Word

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण

• महिष्यः: queens
• महिष्यः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिषी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• कथिताः: were said/mentioned
• कथिताः: Karta (कर्ता/with implied copula)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कथ् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि-प्रत्यय (क्त/PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (having been mentioned/said)

• रुक्मिणीप्रमुखाः: headed by Rukmini
• रुक्मिणीप्रमुखाः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुक्मिणी (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रमुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (रुक्मिणी प्रमुखा यसां = headed by Rukmini)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थे (but/indeed)

• याः: who
• याः: Karta (कर्ता/relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• उपगुह्य: having embraced
• उपगुह्य: Kriya (क्रिया/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-√गुह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक (having embraced/held close)

• हरेः: of Hari (Vishnu/Krishna)
• हरेः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• देहम्: body
• देहम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• विविशुः: entered
• विविशुः: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-√विश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ताः: they (those women)
• ताः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; निर्देश-सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• हुताशनम्: the fire (sacrificial fire)
• हुताशनम्: Karma (कर्म/Goal of motion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हुताशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: The Lord’s intimate associates follow him, demonstrating the consummation of devotion and the transcendence of mortal ties.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Exemplifying pativratā-bhakti and the dharmic ideal of unwavering devotion to Hari.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The queens’ act signifies exclusive surrender to Hari, valuing union with the Lord beyond bodily continuation.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Let devotion become single-pointed: prioritize remembrance and surrender over attachment to transient supports.

Vishishtadvaita: Liberation is relational—attained as serviceful union with the personal Lord (Hari), not as impersonal dissolution.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

Lakshmi Presence: Sri

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Vishnu/Krishna)
• Rukmiṇī
• Eight principal queens of Krishna

FAQs

What is the significance of the queens entering the fire in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse marks the closure of Krishna’s manifest līlā: the principal queens, led by Rukmiṇī, choose to follow Hari beyond the worldly stage, signaling the end of the Yadava household’s earthly chapter.

How does Sage Parāśara explain this event within the narrative flow?

Parāśara narrates it as a consequential transition after Hari’s departure—an emblematic act that completes the domestic and dynastic arc of Krishna’s life as the text moves toward the aftermath for the Yadavas and the age’s decline.

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

By naming Krishna as Hari, the verse frames him as the Supreme Lord whose presence is not limited to the body; the queens’ act underscores devotion oriented to the transcendent Reality behind the visible form.