Shloka 28
अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः
प्रेक्षतश् चैव पार्थस्य वृष्ण्यन्धकवरस्त्रियः जग्मुर् आदाय ते म्लेच्छाः समस्ता मुनिसत्तम
prekṣataś caiva pārthasya vṛṣṇyandhakavarastriyaḥ jagmur ādāya te mlecchāḥ samastā munisattama
O best of sages, even as Pārtha looked on, those mleccha raiders carried away all the noble women of the Vṛṣṇis and the Andhakas.
Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya
Speaker: Parasara
Teaching: Historical
Quality: revealing
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: The carrying away of the Vṛṣṇi-Andhaka women marks the closing of Krishna’s manifest dispensation and the onset of Kali-like disorder.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Implicitly contrasts noble clan order with the chaos of adharma; indicates dharma’s retreat from the visible world
Concept: The fall of a righteous community can occur swiftly when protective dharma is breached and predatory forces prevail.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Build institutions and personal discipline that protect the vulnerable, especially during transitions of leadership and social uncertainty.
Vishishtadvaita: Dharma in society is a mode of the Lord’s order (niyantṛtva); when that order is obscured, suffering manifests in the body politic.
Vamsha: Chandra
Key Kings: Krishna, Arjuna
Vishnu Form: Krishna
FAQs
It marks the visible breakdown of social and royal order after the Yadavas’ end—an emblem of Kali Yuga’s rise, where even Arjuna cannot prevent adharma.
Parāśara presents Arjuna as a witness to the turning of time: despite his prowess, cosmic order has shifted, and events unfold beyond ordinary heroic control.
The verse implies that when the Lord’s manifest presence (Krishna’s lila) withdraws, protective power and dharma diminish—underscoring Vishnu as the sustaining sovereign of order.