Shloka 3

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

Devanagari script

ततो हाहाकृतः सर्वो गोपगोपीजनो द्विज आजगामाथ ददृशे बालम् उत्तानशायिनम्

Transliteration

tato hāhākṛtaḥ sarvo gopagopījano dvija ājagāmātha dadṛśe bālam uttānaśāyinam

Translation

Then, O twice-born one, all the cowherds and cowherd-women, crying out in alarm, rushed there; and they beheld the child lying on his back, face upward.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Discourse sequence/प्रसङ्ग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (sequence adverb: 'then/thereupon')

• हाहाकृतः: having cried 'hā hā' (alarmed)
• हाहाकृतः: Karta (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हाहा (अव्यय-ध्वन्यनुकरण) + कृत (कृ धातु, कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (हाहा इति कृतः); भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (of 'जनः')

• सर्वः: all
• सर्वः: Karta (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (of 'जनः')

• गोपगोपीजनः: the community of cowherds and cowherd-women
• गोपगोपीजनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोप + गोपी + जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (गोपाश्च गोप्यश्च); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (समाहार/समुदायवाचक)

• द्विज: O twice-born (sage)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; संबोधनार्थे प्रथमा (vocative sense)

• आजगाम: came
• आजगाम: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + आ (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरबोधक-अव्यय (particle: 'then/now')

• ददृशे: saw
• ददृशे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• बालम्: the child
• बालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• उत्तानशायिनम्: lying on his back (supine)
• उत्तानशायिनम्: Karma (Qualifier of object/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तान + शायिन् (शी धातु-निन् प्रत्यय)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उत्तानं शयते इति); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (of 'बालम्')

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The cowherd community’s reaction to Krishna’s miracles

Teaching: Historical

Quality: narrative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: He remains among the cowherds, drawing them into devotion while neutralizing dangers that threaten the community.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Communal security and the devotees’ protective care for the divine child

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Vatsalya

Characters & Entities

• Gopīs (cowherd-women)
• Bāla (the divine child, Krishna)

FAQs

What is the significance of the cowherds’ alarm in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It highlights the human, communal response to perceived danger, setting the stage for Krishna’s divine protection to be revealed through ordinary pastoral life.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the scene to Maitreya here?

Parāśara narrates in a straightforward, eyewitness-like sequence—panic, rushing to the spot, and the discovery of the child—typical of the Purana’s dialogue-based storytelling.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu (as Krishna) in this context?

The verse frames Vishnu’s sovereignty through līlā: the Supreme appears as an infant, inviting devotion, while the narrative implies that divine power operates even when the Lord seems most vulnerable.