Shloka 60

अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः

Devanagari script

तच् च निष्पादितं कार्यम् अशेषा भूभृतो हताः वृष्ण्यन्धककुलं सर्वं तथा पार्थोपसंहृतम्

Transliteration

tac ca niṣpāditaṃ kāryam aśeṣā bhūbhṛto hatāḥ vṛṣṇyandhakakulaṃ sarvaṃ tathā pārthopasaṃhṛtam

Translation

Thus the appointed work was fulfilled: the burden of kings upon the earth was wholly cut down; the entire clan of the Vṛṣṇis and Andhakas came to its end; and even the line of the Pārthas was gathered up and withdrawn.

Word by Word

• tat: that (thing)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

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

• niṣpāditam: accomplished, carried out
• niṣpāditam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: niṣ√pad (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (accomplished)

• kāryam: task, duty
• kāryam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ + यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• aśeṣāḥ: all, without remainder
• aśeṣāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• bhūbhṛtaḥ: kings (earth-bearers)
• bhūbhṛtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū-bhṛt (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (भूः + भृत् = 'earth-bearer')

• hatāḥ: slain
• hatāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; कर्मणि (slain)

• vṛṣṇyandhakakulam: the Vṛṣṇi-Andhaka clan
• vṛṣṇyandhakakulam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣṇi + andhaka + kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (वृष्णि-अन्धकयोः कुलम्)

• sarvam: entire, all
• sarvam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• tathā: thus, likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयार्थ (thus/also)

• pārtha-upasaṃhṛtam: brought to a close by Pārtha (Arjuna)
• pārtha-upasaṃhṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pārtha + upa-saṃ√hṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-कृदन्त; समासः—तत्पुरुष (पार्थेन उपसंहृतम् = 'brought to an end by Arjuna')

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Account of Kṛṣṇa’s concluding acts and the winding up of the Bhārata-era burdens on earth.

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To lighten the earth’s burden by the destruction of oppressive kings and to conclude his manifest līlā by withdrawing his own clan and the Pāṇḍava line.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Restoration of political dharma through removal of adharmic rulers and orderly closure of the avatāra’s earthly dispensation.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even divine descents culminate in a deliberate withdrawal once the ordained purpose—especially the removal of bhū-bhāra—is completed under Time’s governance.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Accept endings as part of a larger divine order; act rightly in one’s role without clinging to outcomes.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s līlā operates within history while remaining sovereign, directing cosmic purposes without being bound by them.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Vamsha: Chandra

Key Kings: Vṛṣṇi, Andhaka, Pārtha

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Vṛṣṇi dynasty
• Andhaka dynasty
• Bhūbhṛt (kings/rulers)
• Pārtha (Pāṇḍava/Arjuna’s line)

FAQs

What is the significance of the 'earth’s burden' (bhūbhāra) being removed in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames the great wars and dynastic endings as a cosmic rebalancing: oppressive rulers are eliminated so dharma can be reset according to divine order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the end of the Vṛṣṇi-Andhaka clan in this context?

Parāśara presents it as part of a completed 'kārya'—a destined conclusion—signaling that even exalted lineages conclude when the divine purpose of an age has been fulfilled.

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

The verse implies Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty over history: dynasties rise and are withdrawn not merely by chance, but within a purposeful, dharma-governed cosmic administration.