Shloka 16

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

Devanagari script

व्यग्रायाम् अथ तस्यां स कर्षमाण उलूखलम् यमलार्जुनमध्येन जगाम कमलेक्षणः

Transliteration

vyagrāyām atha tasyāṃ sa karṣamāṇa ulūkhalam yamalārjunamadhyena jagāma kamalekṣaṇaḥ

Translation

Then, while she was distracted, the lotus-eyed Lord—dragging the heavy mortar behind Him—went straight between the twin Yamala-arjuna trees.

Word by Word

• व्यग्रायाम्: when (she) was busy/occupied
• व्यग्रायाम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यग्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; विशेषण-रूपेण (feminine, locative 7th, singular; used adjectivally)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha/Discourse marker (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (indeclinable; then/thereupon)

• तस्याम्: in her / when she
• तस्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (feminine, locative 7th, singular; pronoun)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (masculine, nominative 1st, singular; pronoun)

• कर्षमाणः: dragging
• कर्षमाणः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृष् (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.)

• उलूखलम्: the mortar
• उलूखलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उलूखल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन (neuter, accusative 2nd, singular)

• यमलार्जुनमध्येन: through the middle between the twin Arjuna trees
• यमलार्जुनमध्येन: Karana/Path (Instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमल + अर्जुन + मध्य (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषसमासः (यमलार्जुनयोः मध्येन = between the twin Arjuna trees); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन (neuter, instrumental 3rd, singular)

• जगाम: went
• जगाम: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (perfect, 3rd person, singular; parasmaipada)

• कमलेक्षणः: the lotus-eyed one (Krishna)
• कमलेक्षणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कमल + ईक्षण (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमासः (कमलमिव ईक्षणं यस्य); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.)

Speaker

Sage Parashara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: revealing

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: He manifests in Vraja to delight His devotees and to remove subtle curses/bondages through playful līlā.

Leela: Bala

Dharma Restored: Supremacy of bhakti over mere power; the Lord’s accessibility to loving devotees.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Vatsalya

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Vishnu
• Yamala-Arjuna (twin Arjuna trees)
• Ulukhala (mortar)

FAQs

What is the significance of Krishna going between the twin Arjuna trees in the Vishnu Purana?

This movement sets up the famed Yamala-Arjuna episode, where the Lord’s seemingly simple act becomes the occasion for a transformative divine intervention and the unfolding of His sovereign lila.

How does Sage Parashara frame Krishna’s action here—human effort or divine sovereignty?

Parashara presents Krishna as ‘kamalekṣaṇa’ (lotus-eyed Lord), signaling that even an ordinary-looking act—dragging a mortar—operates under divine sovereignty and purposeful lila.

What is the theological importance of calling Krishna 'kamalekshana' in this context?

The epithet identifies the child as the Supreme Lord Vishnu Himself, emphasizing that the Absolute can appear in intimate, accessible forms while remaining the highest reality.