Shloka 9

अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः

Devanagari script

प्लावयाम् आस तां शून्यां द्वारकां च महोदधिः यदुदेवगृहं त्व् एकं नाप्लावयत सागरः

Transliteration

plāvayām āsa tāṃ śūnyāṃ dvārakāṃ ca mahodadhiḥ yadudevagṛhaṃ tv ekaṃ nāplāvayata sāgaraḥ

Translation

Then the great ocean flooded that emptied Dvārakā; yet the sea did not inundate the one place alone—the dwelling of the Lord of the Yadus.

Word by Word

• प्लावयाम्: flooded; caused to be inundated
• प्लावयाम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्लु (धातु) → प्लावयाम् (नामधातु/णिच्-प्रयोग; causative stem प्लावय-)
• Form: लिट्-लकारे परिप्रयोगः ‘प्लावयाम् आस’ (periphrastic perfect), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative)

• आस: did/was (auxiliary in ‘plāvayām āsa’)
• आस: Auxiliary (सहायक-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; सहायकक्रिया (auxiliary)

• ताम्: that
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शून्याम्: empty; deserted
• शून्याम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शून्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्वारकां इति विशेषण

• द्वारकाम्: Dvārakā
• द्वारकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• महोदधिः: the great ocean
• महोदधिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-उदधि (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: कर्मधारय (महान् उदधिः), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यदुदेवगृहम्: the house/temple of the Yadu-god (Kṛṣṇa)
• यदुदेवगृहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यदु-देव-गृह (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (यदूनां देवः = कृष्णः; तस्य गृहं), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: but
• तु: Discourse particle (विरोध/विशेष)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक अव्यय (adversative particle)

• एकम्: one; single
• एकम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; यदुदेवगृहम् इति विशेषण

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• अप्लावयत्: flooded; inundated
• अप्लावयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्लु (धातु) → प्लावय (णिजन्त)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative)

• सागरः: the sea
• सागरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Cosmological Context

Manvantara: Vaivasvata

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Kṛṣṇa’s earthly līlā concludes, and as a cosmic sign of withdrawal the ocean reclaims Dvārakā while preserving the Lord’s own dwelling as a final marker of sovereignty.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Reassertion that all realms are upheld by the Lord; even destruction proceeds under His ordinance

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The world’s elements act under Bhagavān’s command: the ocean inundates the city yet cannot overwhelm the Lord’s own abode, revealing His sovereignty as jagat-kāraṇa.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Contemplate impermanence of worldly structures while anchoring faith in the Lord as the unshaken refuge; practice detachment with devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: The cosmos is a real body of the Lord (śarīra-śarīrī-bhāva): elements obey Him, and He remains the inner ruler and sustaining cause even amid dissolution-like events.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Ocean (Sāgara/Mahodadhi)
• Śrī Kṛṣṇa (Yadudeva)

FAQs

What is the significance of Dvārakā being submerged in the Vishnu Purana?

It marks the closure of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s manifest līlā on earth—when the Lord withdraws, the worldly city tied to that divine presence also disappears from ordinary human access.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine control over nature in this episode?

By showing the ocean inundating the entire deserted city yet sparing the Lord’s dwelling, Parāśara frames nature as operating under the Supreme’s command, not as an independent force.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu (as Kṛṣṇa) here?

Even as the avatāra’s visible activity ends, the verse emphasizes enduring supremacy—Vishnu/Kṛṣṇa remains the governing reality, with creation responding to His will.