Shloka 26

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

Devanagari script

ततः क्षणेन प्रययुः शकटैर् गोधनैस् तथा यूथशो वत्सपालांश् च कालयन्तो व्रजौकसः

Transliteration

tataḥ kṣaṇena prayayuḥ śakaṭair godhanais tathā yūthaśo vatsapālāṃś ca kālayanto vrajaukasaḥ

Translation

Then, in a moment, the people of Vraja set out with their wagons and their wealth of cattle; and, gathering the calf-herds in groups, they called them and gave directions, setting the pastoral order of the settlement as they went.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable adverb; अर्थे: 'thereafter/from there'

• क्षणेन: in a moment
• क्षणेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; instrumental of time = 'within a moment'

• प्रययुः: they departed/went
• प्रययुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; perfect = 'they went forth'

• शकटैः: with carts
• शकटैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शकट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; instrumental = 'with carts'

• गोधनैः: with cattle/with their cows
• गोधनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: गो-धन = 'wealth of cows'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• तथा: also/likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable; 'also/likewise'

• यूथशः: in groups
• यूथशः: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यूथ (प्रातिपदिक) + शस् (तद्धित-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तद्धितान्त) 'शस्' = distributive adverb; अर्थे: 'in groups/herd-wise'

• वत्सपालान्: the calf-herds/boys tending calves
• वत्सपालान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वत्स (प्रातिपदिक) + पाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: वत्स-पाल = 'protector of calves'); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन

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

• कालयन्तः: urging/driving (along)
• कालयन्तः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कल्/काल् (धातु) (कालयति)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/प्रत्यय -न्त), परस्मैपदी; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; causative sense = 'causing to go/urging on'

• व्रजौकसः: the inhabitants of Vraja
• व्रजौकसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रज (प्रातिपदिक) + ओकस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष/अधिकरण: व्रज-ओकस् = 'dwelling in Vraja'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To protect Vraja and its cattle while enacting divine pastoral līlā that nurtures bhakti.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Protection of the Vraja community’s dharmic pastoral order (go-sevā, communal harmony).

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Vatsalya

Characters & Entities

• Vraja (Vrajaukasaḥ)
• Cowherds (Gopas)
• Calf-herds (Vatsapālas)
• Carts (Śakaṭa)
• Cattle-wealth (Godhana)

FAQs

What is the significance of godhana (cattle-wealth) in the Vishnu Purana’s Vraja episodes?

This verse highlights godhana as the living foundation of Vraja—wealth, sustenance, and dharmic responsibility—showing how the community’s entire movement and security revolve around protecting and organizing the herds.

How does Sage Parāśara explain communal order in Krishna’s Vraja narrative?

By describing the Vrajavāsīs departing with wagons and herds while organizing the calf-tenders in groups, Parāśara presents Vraja as a disciplined, collective society—an outward social order that quietly unfolds under the larger divine order surrounding Krishna.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even in a seemingly simple migration of cowherds, the narrative implies Vishnu’s sovereignty: the world’s order is maintained through ordinary duties and coordinated action, while the Supreme (as Krishna) remains the hidden center around which these events turn.