Shloka 3

अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः

Devanagari script

रेवती चैव रामस्य देहम् आश्लिष्य सत्तम विवेश ज्वलितं वह्निं तत्सङ्गाह्लादशीतलम्

Transliteration

revatī caiva rāmasya deham āśliṣya sattama viveśa jvalitaṃ vahniṃ tatsaṅgāhlādaśītalam

Translation

Then Revati too—embracing the body of Balarāma, O best of the virtuous—entered the blazing fire; yet by the blissful touch of her presence, that fire became cool and soothing.

Word by Word

• रेवती: Revati
• रेवती: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेवती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• रामस्य: of Rama
• रामस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (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

• आश्लिष्य: having embraced
• आश्लिष्य: Kriya (क्रिया/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√श्लिष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक (having embraced)

• सत्तम: O best (of men)
• सत्तम: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; श्रेष्ठ-पुरुषे (O best of men)

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

• ज्वलितम्: blazing
• ज्वलितम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √ज्वल् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP used adjectivally), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; वह्निं विशेषयति

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

• तत्सङ्गाह्लादशीतलम्: cooled by the joy of that contact
• तत्सङ्गाह्लादशीतलम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + सङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + आह्लाद (प्रातिपदिक) + शीतल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (तत्सङ्गेन आह्लादः शीतलम् = cooled by the delight of that contact)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: The avatāra-cycle concludes with Balarāma’s household also withdrawing, highlighting the divine nature of the Yādava līlā.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Affirmation of sacred marital fidelity and the sanctity of the Lord’s associates.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Devotional purity transforms even the blazing fire into coolness—symbolizing the soothing power of surrendered love.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: In hardship, steadiness in devotion and virtue can transmute inner ‘heat’ (grief, agitation) into calm.

Vishishtadvaita: Grace operates through the Lord’s sambandha (relationship): contact with the divine (and divine-associated) sanctifies and transforms material conditions.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Vasudeva

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

Vyuha Form: Sankarshana

Characters & Entities

• Revati
• Rama (Balarama)
• Agni (fire)

FAQs

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

It marks Revati’s departure from the world immediately after Balarama, portraying her unwavering conjugal unity and the Purāṇic motif of Agni as a purifier and sacred passage rather than mere destruction.

How does Sage Parāśara explain this event within the larger dialogue to Maitreya?

Parāśara narrates it as part of the dynastic chronicle in Ansha 4, presenting the withdrawal of divine and royal figures as an ordered transition in time—an episode within the larger flow of lineage and dharma.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the scene belongs to the avatāra-era narrative: the associates of the divine order (including Balarama, connected with Vishnu’s cosmic function) exit the stage according to cosmic sovereignty, underscoring līlā and controlled dissolution rather than chaos.