Shloka 62

Devanagari script

चाणूरेण चिरं कालं क्रीडित्वा मधुसूदनः उत्पाट्य भ्रामयाम् आस तद्वधाय कृतोद्यमः

Transliteration

cāṇūreṇa ciraṃ kālaṃ krīḍitvā madhusūdanaḥ utpāṭya bhrāmayām āsa tadvadhāya kṛtodyamaḥ

Translation

Après avoir longtemps joué avec Cāṇūra, Madhusūdana, décidé à le mettre à mort, l’arracha, le souleva et le fit tournoyer.

Word by Word

• चाणूरेण: with Chanura
• चाणूरेण: Saha/Instrument (सह/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चाणूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• चिरम्: for a long time
• चिरम्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिरम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• कालम्: time (duration)
• कालम्: Kala (Duration/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); काल-अत्यन्तसंयोग (accusative of duration)

• क्रीडित्वा: having played/sported (fought playfully)
• क्रीडित्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्रीड् (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्यय-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• मधुसूदनः: Madhusudana (slayer of Madhu)
• मधुसूदनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक) + सूदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: मधोः सूदनः (slayer of Madhu)

• उत्पाट्य: having uprooted/torn up
• उत्पाट्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत्-पट् (धातु) + णिच् (causative) + क्त्वा/ल्यप् (अव्यय-कृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यप्-अव्यय (Gerund), ‘having torn up/uprooted’

• भ्रामयाम्: I whirled (him)
• भ्रामयाम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद; causative stem भ्रामय- ‘to whirl’

• आस: did (auxiliary)
• आस: Kriya (Auxiliary/सहायक-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद; सहायक-क्रिया with भ्रामयाम् आस = ‘did whirl’

• तद्वधाय: for his slaying
• तद्वधाय: Sampradana/Purpose (सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + वध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष: तस्य वधः (for his killing)

• कृतोद्यमः: having made preparations; ready
• कृतोद्यमः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृ धातु + क्त) + उद्यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहि: कृतः उद्यमः यस्य सः (one who has made the effort; prepared)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Krishna ends Cāṇūra’s violence decisively, demonstrating the Lord’s protection of the world through the destruction of adharma.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Removal of oppressive force and reassertion of righteous order

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord may ‘play’ with evil for a time, yet He ends it at the proper moment—showing measured, purposeful power rather than impulsive violence.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate patience and discernment: act firmly against harm, but at the right time and for the right end.

Vishishtadvaita: Līlā with sovereignty: the Supreme remains free and purposeful even while appearing in human action and time.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Krishna (Madhusudana)
• Chanura

FAQs

What is the significance of Krishna ‘playing’ (krīḍitvā) with Cāṇūra in the Vishnu Purana?

It frames the combat as līlā—Krishna’s divine sport—showing that even intense struggle is, for the Supreme, a controlled act that upholds dharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine power in this scene?

By describing Krishna as Madhusūdana who first ‘sports’ and then decisively destroys the opponent, Parāśara highlights effortless sovereignty: the Lord’s will turns play into victory over adharma.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Krishna is presented not merely as a hero but as the Supreme Reality acting in the world—protecting the righteous and removing oppressive forces through purposeful, dharma-restoring action.