Shloka 25

भाण्डीरवट-क्रीडा: प्रलम्बासुरवधः, मानुष्यलीला, एक-कारण-तत्त्वम्

Devanagari script

किं न वेत्सि यथाहं च त्वं चैकं कारणं भुवः भारावतारणार्थाय मर्त्यलोकम् उपागतौ

Transliteration

kiṃ na vetsi yathāhaṃ ca tvaṃ caikaṃ kāraṇaṃ bhuvaḥ bhārāvatāraṇārthāya martyalokam upāgatau

Translation

Do you not know that you and I are the one supreme cause of the world? We have descended to the realm of mortals to lift the burden of the Earth.

Word by Word

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; interrogative pronoun (प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम)

• न: not
• न: Modifier (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• वेत्सि: you know
• वेत्सि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; √विद् → वेत्सि (you know)

• यथा: as
• यथा: Modifier (सम्बन्ध/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (as, just as)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• एकम्: one, single
• एकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• कारणम्: cause
• कारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• भुवः: of the earth/world
• भुवः: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; ‘भुवः’ = of the earth/world

• भारावतारणार्थाय: for the purpose of removing the burden
• भारावतारणार्थाय: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार + अवतारण + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन; दत्त/प्रयोजनवाचक (for the purpose of); समासः: भारस्य अवतारणम् इति (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) + अर्थ (प्रयोजन)

• मर्त्यलोकम्: the mortal world
• मर्त्यलोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समासः: मर्त्यानां लोकः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• उपागतौ: (we two) have come/arrived
• उपागतौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past participle) ‘उपागत’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), द्विवचन; predicative to ‘अहम्…त्वम्’ (we two have come)

Speaker

Sri Krishna (addressing Balarama in the Bhārāvatāraṇa context)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To descend to the mortal realm in order to remove the Earth’s burden by destroying oppressive forces and re-establishing dharma.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Restoration of righteous kingship and cosmic balance (bhū-bhāra-śamana)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord (here as Kṛṣṇa) is the single ultimate cause and descends by will for loka-saṅgraha, not from karmic compulsion.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Contemplate the divine purpose behind worldly upheavals and align one’s actions with dharma as service to the Lord’s mission.

Vishishtadvaita: Vishnu is both transcendent cause and freely immanent within history through avatāra, while remaining the sovereign controller.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Vyuha Form: Vasudeva

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Balarama
• Earth (Bhū/Pr̥thivī)
• Mortals (Martya-loka)

FAQs

What is the significance of Bhārāvatāraṇa (removing Earth’s burden) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames the descent into Martya-loka as a deliberate divine mission: the Supreme Cause incarnates to relieve Earth’s oppressive burden and re-establish dharma through historical action.

How does the Vishnu Purana present Krishna’s identity in this dialogue?

Krishna speaks as the “one cause” (ekaṁ kāraṇam), emphasizing not merely heroism but metaphysical sovereignty—divinity operating through incarnation for cosmic balance.

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

The verse reinforces a Vaishnava view that the Supreme Reality (Vishnu, manifest as Krishna) freely enters the world to govern order, protect beings, and restore dharma, without losing transcendence.