Shloka 27

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

Devanagari script

द्रव्यावयवनिर्धूतं क्षणमात्रेण तत् तदा काकभाससमाकीर्णं व्रजस्थानम् अभूद् द्विज

Transliteration

dravyāvayavanirdhūtaṃ kṣaṇamātreṇa tat tadā kākabhāsasamākīrṇaṃ vrajasthānam abhūd dvija

Translation

In that very moment, O twice-born, the goods and belongings were shaken loose and scattered; and the settlement of Vraja became filled on every side with crows and vultures, as though a dark omen had descended.

Word by Word

• द्रव्यावयवनिर्धूतम्: cleared of (all) material particles
• द्रव्यावयवनिर्धूतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्रव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अवयव (प्रातिपदिक) + निर् (उपसर्ग) + धू (धातु) (निर्धूत)
• Form: समास: द्रव्य-अवयव (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) + निर्धूत (भूतकृदन्त/क्त); समस्तपदम् नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'having been shaken off/cleared of material particles'

• क्षणमात्रेण: within just a moment
• क्षणमात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय/अवधारण: क्षण-मात्र = 'mere moment'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; instrumental of time

• तत्: that (place/it)
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun = 'that/it'

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) = temporal adverb 'then/at that time'

• काकभाससमाकीर्णम्: crowded with crows and birds of prey
• काकभाससमाकीर्णम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काक (प्रातिपदिक) + भास (प्रातिपदिक) + सम् (उपसर्ग) + आ (उपसर्ग) + कृ (धातु) (आकीर्ण/समाकीर्ण)
• Form: समास: काक-भास (द्वन्द्व/समाहारार्थे 'crows and vultures/raptors' as a set) + समाकीर्ण (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'filled/crowded with'

• व्रजस्थानम्: the settlement of Vraja
• व्रजस्थानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रज (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: व्रज-स्थान = 'place of Vraja'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अभूत्: became/was
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु) + अभि (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लुङ् (अorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; 'became/was'

• द्विज: O twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन; संबोधन = address

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya; addressing him as 'dvija')

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: revealing

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To avert impending harm to Vraja by relocating the community under his protective will.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Safeguarding the vulnerable pastoral community from inauspicious forces and disruption.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even amid ominous signs and instability, refuge in Bhagavān is the stabilizing protection for the devoted community.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: When circumstances feel inauspicious or chaotic, cultivate steadiness through prayer, remembrance, and dharmic action rather than panic.

Vishishtadvaita: Bhagavān’s providence operates within the world to protect his śeṣa-bhūta devotees (those belonging to him).

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Vatsalya

Characters & Entities

• Parashara
• Maitreya
• Vraja

FAQs

What is the significance of crows and vultures appearing over Vraja in the Vishnu Purana?

Their sudden presence functions as an in-text omen: the narrative signals danger, death, or disruption approaching the community, heightening the sense of threatened order in Vraja.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the unfolding of events in Vraja here?

Parāśara frames the scene with rapid, sensory detail—property scattered “in an instant” and the sky crowded with carrion birds—so the listener (Maitreya) reads the moment as a decisive turn toward crisis.

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

Even when Vishnu’s name is not stated in the verse, the Krishna-centered Ansha presents disorder as temporary: the Supreme’s presence in Vraja implies that ominous signs ultimately serve the larger restoration of dharma.