Shloka 13

तालवन-उद्धारः: धेनुकासुरवधः, फल-समृद्धिः, गो-क्षेमः

Devanagari script

ततो गावो निराबाधास् तस्मिंस् तालवने द्विज नवशष्पं सुखं चेरुर् यन् न भुक्तम् अभूत् पुरा

Transliteration

tato gāvo nirābādhās tasmiṃs tālavane dvija navaśaṣpaṃ sukhaṃ cerur yan na bhuktam abhūt purā

Translation

Then, O twice-born one, the cows—now free from all distress—wandered happily in that palm-grove, grazing on fresh young shoots that had never before been eaten.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तदनन्तरार्थ — Indeclinable adverb “then/thereupon”

• गावः: cows
• गावः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Nominative plural feminine

• निराबाधाः: unharmed; free from trouble
• निराबाधाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् + आबाध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Nominative plural feminine (untroubled/unharmed)

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Locative singular (in that)

• तालवने: in the palm-grove
• तालवने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ताल + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Locative singular neuter; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तालानां वनम्)

• द्विज: O twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Vocative singular masculine

• नवशष्पम्: fresh grass
• नवशष्पम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नव + शष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Accusative singular neuter; कर्मधारय (नवम् शष्पम्)

• सुखम्: comfortably
• सुखम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण; नपुंसक एकवचन आकृतिः — Used adverbially “comfortably/with ease”

• चेरुः: they grazed/wandered
• चेरुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd person plural, active

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Relative pronoun “which/that (which)”

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध — Negation particle

• भुक्तम्: eaten
• भुक्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि — Past passive participle “eaten/consumed”

• अभूत्: was; existed
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Imperfect, 3rd person singular, active

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक — Indeclinable adverb “formerly/before”

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: compassionate

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Kṛṣṇa descends to secure Vraja so that beings—especially the cows central to Vraja’s dharma—may live without fear and flourish.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Freedom from fear (abhaya) and the normal rhythm of pastoral life—grazing, fertility, and nourishment.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Where adharma is removed, beings naturally return to their svabhāva—here, cows graze untroubled—showing dharma as the condition for peace and plenty.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Create environments (social, personal) where the vulnerable can thrive; measure ‘order’ by the wellbeing of dependents.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s governance is immanent: His protection is experienced concretely as safety, nourishment, and the flourishing of embodied life.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Vatsalya

Characters & Entities

• Cows
• Dvija (Brahmin addressee)
• Tālavana (palm-grove)

FAQs

What is the significance of cows being 'nirābādhāḥ' (free from distress) in the Vishnu Purana?

It signals a restoration of dharma and right order—when the realm is properly governed and protected, even the most vulnerable prosper without fear.

How does Sage Parāśara use pastoral imagery to convey dharmic stability?

By depicting cows grazing peacefully on untouched fresh shoots, he shows abundance, safety, and continuity—classic markers of a world aligned with righteous rule.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in this verse, the Vishnu Purana frames such harmony and prosperity as ultimately grounded in Vishnu’s sovereign maintenance of cosmic order (sthiti).