Shloka 43

कालियदमना: यमुनाशुद्धिः, करुणा-निग्रहः, स्तुति-तत्त्वम्

Devanagari script

इति संस्मारितः कृष्णः स्मितभिन्नौष्ठसंपुटः आस्फोट्य मोचयाम् आस स्वदेहं भोगबन्धनात्

Transliteration

iti saṃsmāritaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ smitabhinnauṣṭhasaṃpuṭaḥ āsphoṭya mocayām āsa svadehaṃ bhogabandhanāt

Translation

Thus reminded, Kṛṣṇa—his lips gently parted by a faint smile—snapped his fingers, and in that very moment released his own body from the bondage of worldly enjoyment and embodied experience.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यर्थे (quotative particle)

• संस्मारितः: having been reminded
• संस्मारितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (agreeing with कृष्णः)
• Type: Verb
• Root: संस्मारि (सम्+√स्मृ धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; 'reminded'

• कृष्णः: Krishna
• कृष्णः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• स्मितभिन्नौष्ठसंपुटः: with lips parted by a smile
• स्मितभिन्नौष्ठसंपुटः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्मित + भिन्न + ओष्ठ + संपुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (स्मितेन भिन्नः ओष्ठ-संपुटः यस्य/स्मित-भिन्न-ओष्ठ-संपुटः); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (to कृष्णः)

• आस्फोट्य: having snapped (it) off
• आस्फोट्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आस्फोट्य (आ+√स्फुट्/√स्फोट् धातु)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (क्त्वा/ल्यप्-प्रत्यय, gerund); 'having snapped/struck (off)'

• मोचयाम्: (he) released
• मोचयाम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (√मुच् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect); उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; 'I released' (used with आसा as periphrastic perfect style)

• आस: did, was (auxiliary)
• आस: Kriya (Auxiliary/सहायकक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (√अस् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect) / सहायक-क्रिया; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; 'was/did' (auxiliary with मोचयाम् आस)

• स्वदेहम्: his own body
• स्वदेहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (स्वस्य देहः); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• भोगबन्धनात्: from the serpent’s coils/bondage
• भोगबन्धनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोग + बन्धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (भोगस्य बन्धनम् = coil/bond of the serpent); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादान

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To display effortless lordship in Vraja by subduing Kāliya and freeing beings from fear and pollution.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Protection of Vraja and re-establishment of auspiciousness in the Yamunā region.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Bhagavān’s slight gesture and smile signify that worldly bondage is under his mastery; his embodied play is voluntary, not compelled by karma.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Cultivate remembrance that the divine can transform situations instantly; practice steady faith rather than panic when danger arises.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord takes a real body for līlā and grace while remaining untouched by karmic bondage—transcendent yet present in the world.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What is the significance of being freed from 'bhoga-bandhana' in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames worldly enjoyment (bhoga) as a binding force; true mastery is shown when one can relinquish embodied experience itself, pointing toward mokṣa and detachment within the Purāṇic ethic.

How does Sage Parāśara explain liberation through narrative episodes like this?

Parāśara often embeds philosophy inside lineage-stories: a single decisive act (here, snapping the fingers) symbolizes inner realization—freedom is not merely physical death but release from attachment and karmic entanglement.

What is the theological importance of Kṛṣṇa in this context?

Kṛṣṇa is portrayed as sovereign over embodiment, suggesting divinity’s transcendence of material bonds and reinforcing the Vishnu-centered view that the Supreme governs birth, life, and release.