Vishnu Purana 5.3.4 — Krishna Avatara, Amsha 5, Adhyaya 3, Shloka 4

श्रीकृष्ण-जन्म, वसुदेव-यमुनातरण, बालिका-उत्क्षेपः, देवी-प्रादुर्भावः

Devanagari script

सन्तः संतोषम् अधिकं प्रशमं चण्डमारुताः प्रसादं निम्नगा याता जायमाने जनार्दने

Transliteration

santaḥ saṃtoṣam adhikaṃ praśamaṃ caṇḍamārutāḥ prasādaṃ nimnagā yātā jāyamāne janārdane

Translation

Quand Janārdana naissait, les saints furent comblés d’un contentement plus grand et d’une paix intérieure ; les vents violents s’apaisèrent, et les rivières coulèrent avec une limpidité sereine.

Word by Word

• सन्तः: the good (people); saints
• सन्तः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• संतोषम्: contentment
• संतोषम्: Karma (Object/Result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संतोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अधिकम्: greater; increased
• अधिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (संतोषम्-विशेषण)

• प्रशमम्: calm; pacification
• प्रशमम्: Karma (Object/Result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रशम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• चण्डमारुताः: violent winds
• चण्डमारुताः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चण्ड + मारुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); कर्मधारय (चण्डाः मारुताः)

• प्रसादम्: serenity; clarity
• प्रसादम्: Karma (Object/Result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रसाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• निम्नगाः: rivers
• निम्नगाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निम्नगा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• याताः: gone; become (attaining a state)
• याताः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: या (√या) (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past participle/Kta), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); निम्नगाः-विशेषण

• जायमाने: when (he was) being born
• जायमाने: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/time)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन् (√जन्) (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (Present middle participle; शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• जनार्दने: in/at Janārdana (Vishnu)
• जनार्दने: Adhikarana (Locative absolute; locus of event)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Natural omens and the universal recognition of the Lord’s advent.

Teaching: Historical

Quality: compassionate

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: At Janārdana’s birth the very forces of nature pacify, heralding the Lord’s protective descent for the welfare of all beings.

Leela: Bala

Dharma Restored: Re-establishment of harmony (praśama, prasāda) in nature and in the minds of the holy, indicating dharmic equilibrium.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The advent of the Supreme correlates with inner tranquility in the sādhus and outer harmony in nature, implying dharma as alignment of mind, society, and cosmos.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Seek dharmic alignment: cultivate calm (praśama) through devotion and restraint, and extend it outward through non-violence and ecological sensitivity.

Vishishtadvaita: The cosmos is the Lord’s body (śarīra) and responds to His presence; inner devotion and outer order are integrally connected.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Janardana
• Saints (Santas)
• Rivers (Nimnaga)
• Winds (Marutas)

FAQs

What is the significance of nature becoming calm at Janardana’s birth in the Vishnu Purana?

It signals cosmic recognition of Vishnu’s descent: even winds and rivers mirror restored harmony, indicating the Lord’s sovereignty over prakriti and the rebalancing of dharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the world’s response to divine incarnation here?

Through auspicious, observable changes—inner peace among the virtuous and pacification in the elements—Parāśara frames the avatāra as a universal event, not merely a local human birth.

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

Janārdana is presented as the Supreme Reality whose presence naturally pacifies disorder; the verse emphasizes Vishnu’s lordship over both moral order and the elemental world.