Shloka 1

Śakaṭa-bhañjana, Naming by Garga, Dāmodara and Yamala-arjuna, and the Move to Vṛndāvana

Devanagari script

कदाचिच् छकटस्याधः शयानो मधुसूदनः चिक्षेप चरणाव् ऊर्ध्वं स्तन्यार्थी प्ररुरोद च

Transliteration

kadācic chakaṭasyādhaḥ śayāno madhusūdanaḥ cikṣepa caraṇāv ūrdhvaṃ stanyārthī praruroda ca

Translation

Once, Madhusūdana, in the guise of an infant, lay beneath a cart; longing for his mother’s milk, he cried and in that very moment flung his little feet upward.

Word by Word

• कदाचित्: once, at some time
• कदाचित्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'at some time/once')

• शकटस्य: of the cart
• शकटस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शकट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन (singular)

• अधः: below, underneath
• अधः: Adhikarana (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधस् (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (spatial adverb: 'below/under')

• शयानः: lying (down)
• शयानः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शी (धातु) + शय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), परस्मैपदी; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; 'lying' (present active participle)

• मधुसूदनः: Madhusūdana (slayer of Madhu)
• मधुसूदनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु + सूदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मधुं सूदयति इति); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• चिक्षेप: threw, flung
• चिक्षेप: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• चरणौ: (his) two feet
• चरणौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), द्विवचन (dual)

• ऊर्ध्वम्: upwards
• ऊर्ध्वम्: Adhikarana (Direction/दिशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ऊर्ध्व (अव्यय/नपुंसक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: दिशावाचक-अव्यय (directional adverb: 'upwards')

• स्तन्यार्थी: desiring milk
• स्तन्यार्थी: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्तन्य + अर्थिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (स्तन्यस्य अर्थी); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying the subject)

• प्ररुरोद: cried loudly
• प्ररुरोद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रुद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

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

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Krishna’s childhood exploits in Vraja

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: revealing

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: He descends to protect the world by destroying asuric forces in Vraja while delighting devotees through intimate childhood līlā.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Safety of Vraja and the sanctity of Vatsalya-bhakti around the divine child

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The supreme Lord freely veils His majesty and becomes approachable as a dependent child to nourish loving devotion.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Cultivate intimate remembrance (smaraṇa) of the Lord’s tenderness, letting love—not fear—shape daily worship.

Vishishtadvaita: Parabrahman is not impersonal; He possesses auspicious attributes and enters relational modes without losing sovereignty.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Vatsalya

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Krishna (Madhusudana)

FAQs

What is the significance of the Shakata-bhanga (cart overturning) episode in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse sets the scene for the miracle: Krishna, appearing as a helpless infant, reveals effortless divine sovereignty—his simple upward kick becomes the catalyst for the cart’s destruction in the ensuing narrative.

How does Sage Parāśara explain Krishna’s divinity while describing ordinary infant behavior?

Parāśara presents a deliberate contrast: Krishna cries for milk like any child, yet he is addressed as Madhusūdana, indicating that the Supreme Lord’s human-like needs are part of lila, not limitation.

What is the theological importance of calling the infant “Madhusūdana” here?

The epithet identifies the baby as Vishnu himself—the cosmic victor over evil—affirming that the same Supreme Reality who upholds universal order is present in an intimate, approachable form for devotion.