Shloka 22

केशीवधः तथा ‘केशव’ नामप्रसिद्धिः

Devanagari script

तुरगस्यास्य शक्रो ऽपि कृष्ण देवाश् च बिभ्यति धूतकेसरजालस्य ह्रेषतो ऽभ्रावलोकिनः

Transliteration

turagasyāsya śakro 'pi kṛṣṇa devāś ca bibhyati dhūtakesarajālasya hreṣato 'bhrāvalokinaḥ

Translation

À la vue de ce cheval—dont la crinière, secouée, se déploie comme un filet, et dont le hennissement s’élève tel le grondement des nuées—ô Kṛṣṇa, même Śakra (Indra) et les dieux sont saisis de crainte.

Word by Word

• तुरगस्य: of the horse
• तुरगस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुरग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• शक्रः: Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (particle: also/even)

• कृष्ण: O Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्ण: Sambodhana (Vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

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

• बिभ्यति: fear
• बिभ्यति: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भी (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• धूतकेसरजालस्य: of (its) shaken mane-mass
• धूतकेसरजालस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूत + केसर + जाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (of the shaken mane-net)

• ह्रेषतः: of (it) neighing
• ह्रेषतः: Hetu/Context (circumstantial cause)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ह्रेषत् (कृदन्त; √ह्रेष्)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle) ‘hreṣat’; षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन (genitive absolute-like with preceding genitives)

• अभ्रावलोकिनः: cloud-gazing / looking up to the clouds
• अभ्रावलोकिनः: Visheshana (Qualifier of devāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभ्र + अवलोकिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (looking at the clouds / skyward-looking)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To confront and subdue the terrifying asura-form that even the gods dread, safeguarding the world by fearless divine presence.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Removal of fear and disruption caused by demonic violence; reassertion of divine order over asuric terror.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Kṛṣṇa
• Devas (gods)
• Turaga (the horse)

FAQs

What is the significance of the fear of Indra and the gods in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It signals an event or being of overwhelming potency—so formidable that even celestial rulers like Indra perceive a disruption or challenge to established divine order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain power and sovereignty through such imagery?

By portraying natural and cosmic metaphors—like cloud-like appearance and thunderous neighing—Parāśara frames royal or supernatural force as something that reverberates through the cosmic hierarchy, not merely human society.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named as the immediate agent, the Purāṇic narrative assumes all sovereignty ultimately rests in Vishnu as Supreme Reality; extraordinary power and its consequences unfold within his overarching cosmic governance.