Shloka 25

कुब्जानुग्रहः, धनुर्भङ्गः, कुवलयापीडवधः, मल्लयुद्धं, कंसवधः, स्तुतयः

Devanagari script

मल्लप्राश्निकवर्गश् च रङ्गमध्यसमीपतः कृतः कंसेन कंसो ऽपि तुङ्गमञ्चे व्यवस्थितः

Transliteration

mallaprāśnikavargaś ca raṅgamadhyasamīpataḥ kṛtaḥ kaṃsena kaṃso 'pi tuṅgamañce vyavasthitaḥ

Translation

Por orden de Kaṃsa, el grupo de luchadores y sus asistentes fue colocado cerca del centro de la arena; y Kaṃsa mismo se instaló en un estrado elevado.

Word by Word

मल्लप्राश्निकवर्गःthe group of wrestlers and attendants (prāśnikas)

चand

रङ्गमध्यसमीपतःnear the middle of the arena

कृतःwas placed/arranged

कंसेनby Kaṃsa

कंसःKaṃsa

अपिalso

तुङ्गमञ्चेon a high platform

व्यवस्थितःwas stationed / stood

Speaker

Sage Parasara (narrating to Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

Kamsa

Wrestlers (Mallas)

Arena attendants (Prashnika-varga)

FAQs

What is the significance of Kamsa arranging the wrestlers near the center of the arena in the Vishnu Purana?

It highlights Kaṃsa’s calculated control of the event—turning a public spectacle into a planned confrontation—setting the narrative tension just before divine justice overturns his rule.

How does Sage Parasara explain the build-up to Kamsa’s downfall in this episode?

Parasara narrates the deliberate staging—officials, wrestlers, and the king’s elevated seat—to show how adharma organizes power outwardly, even as destiny (under Vishnu’s supremacy) moves toward its correction.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context, even though Vishnu is not named in the verse?

Within Ansha 5, Krishna’s presence is the implied divine center: Kaṃsa’s apparent sovereignty is portrayed as temporary, while the Supreme Reality (Vishnu as Krishna) is the true governor of outcomes and moral order.