Shloka 30

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

Devanagari script

स समावासितः सर्वो व्रजो वृन्दावने ततः शकटीवाटपर्यन्तश् चन्द्रार्धाकारसंस्थितिः

Transliteration

sa samāvāsitaḥ sarvo vrajo vṛndāvane tataḥ śakaṭīvāṭaparyantaś candrārdhākārasaṃsthitiḥ

Translation

Thereafter he settled the entire cowherd community in Vṛndāvana; and the encampment, extending as far as the place of the carts, was arranged in the form of a half-moon.

Word by Word

• सः: that/he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• समावासितः: was settled/was made to reside
• समावासितः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् (उपसर्ग) + आ (उपसर्ग) + वस् (धातु) (वासयति)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; causative/passive sense = 'made to dwell/settled'

• सर्वः: entire
• सर्वः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण of व्रजः

• व्रजः: the Vraja community/settlement
• व्रजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• वृन्दावने: in Vṛndāvana
• वृन्दावने: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृन्दावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रम/अनन्तर) = 'then/thereupon'

• शकटीवाटपर्यन्तः: extending up to the cart-yard
• शकटीवाटपर्यन्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शकटी (प्रातिपदिक) + वाट (प्रातिपदिक) + पर्यन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (अधिकरण/सीमा: शकटी-वाट-पर्यन्त = 'up to the cart-yard'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण of (व्रजः/संस्थितिः)

• चन्द्रार्धाकारसंस्थितिः: a formation like a half-moon
• चन्द्रार्धाकारसंस्थितिः: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + आकार (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्थिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: चन्द्र-अर्ध-आकार (कर्मधारय: 'half-moon shape') + संस्थिति ('arrangement/formation'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; predicate noun

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To settle the entire Vraja community safely in Vṛndāvana, arranging their encampment with protective and auspicious order.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Communal stability and protection of Vraja’s dharmic life under Bhagavān’s guidance.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Right order (vyavasthā) and collective harmony are themselves expressions of dharma when aligned with Bhagavān’s protection.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Organize community life with foresight and mutual care; build structures that protect the vulnerable and sustain shared spiritual practice.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord is the protector (rakṣaka) and the community are the protected (rakṣya), embodying śaraṇāgati in lived social order.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Vatsalya

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Vraja (cowherd community)
• Vrindavana

FAQs

What is the significance of the half-moon formation in the Vishnu Purana?

It signals an intentional, protective ordering of the Vraja encampment—an outward sign that Kṛṣṇa (Vishnu incarnate) safeguards the community by arranging their living space with foresight and discipline.

How does Sage Parāśara explain Kṛṣṇa’s leadership in Vṛndāvana here?

Through a simple narrative detail: Parāśara depicts Kṛṣṇa as the one who ‘settles’ the entire Vraja in Vṛndāvana, implying calm authority and providential care within the pastoral world of the lila.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even in domestic geography and daily movement, Vishnu’s avatāra functions as the Supreme Protector—establishing order, safety, and right arrangement for devotees, aligning worldly life with dharma.