Shloka 14

केशीवधः तथा ‘केशव’ नामप्रसिद्धिः

Devanagari script

व्यादितास्यो महारौद्रः सो ऽसुरः कृष्णबाहुना निपपात द्विधाभूतो वैद्युतेन यथा द्रुमः

Transliteration

vyāditāsyo mahāraudraḥ so 'suraḥ kṛṣṇabāhunā nipapāta dvidhābhūto vaidyutena yathā drumaḥ

Translation

Con las fauces abiertas y el terror ardiendo en su rostro, aquel asura furioso fue abatido por el brazo de Kṛṣṇa; partido en dos, cayó como un árbol hendida por un rayo.

Word by Word

व्यादितास्यः(having) gaping mouth

महारौद्रःvery fierce

सःhe

असुरःthe demon

कृष्णबाहुनाby Krishna’s arm

निपपातfell down

द्विधाinto two, in two ways

भूतःbecome

वैद्युतेनby lightning

यथाas, like

द्रुमःa tree

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Kṛṣṇa’s Vraja-līlā and the slaying of asuras sent by Kaṃsa.

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To protect Vraja and remove the asuric threats sent to destroy him and terrorize the cowherd community.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Loka-rakṣaṇa—safety of the innocent and the re-establishment of fearlessness in Vraja.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

Krishna

Asura (demon)

FAQs

What is the significance of Krishna splitting the Asura in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It dramatizes divine sovereignty: the asuric force, even at its most furious, is effortlessly subdued when Vishnu’s avatāra acts to reestablish dharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine intervention in such battle scenes?

Through vivid comparisons (like a lightning-split tree), Parāśara frames the event as more than violence—an emblem of cosmic governance where the Lord’s power restores order.

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

Kṛṣṇa’s decisive act underscores Vishnu’s supremacy: the avatāra is the visible instrument of the Supreme Reality protecting the world from adharmic disruption.