Shloka 7

साम्ब-हरणम्, बलदेवस्य रोषः, हस्तिनापुर-आकर्षणम्

Devanagari script

तान् निवार्य बलः प्राह मदलोलकलाक्षरम् मोक्ष्यन्ति ते मद्वचनाद् यास्याम्य् एको हि कौरवान्

Transliteration

tān nivārya balaḥ prāha madalolakalākṣaram mokṣyanti te madvacanād yāsyāmy eko hi kauravān

Translation

Les retenant, Bala parla — les yeux vacillants d’ivresse : «À ma parole, ils vous relâcheront; moi seul j’irai vers les Kaurava.»

Word by Word

• tān: them
• tān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• nivārya: having restrained
• nivārya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√vṛ (वृ धातु) + ल्यप् (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यपन्त अव्यय-भावकृदन्त (gerund), अर्थः—निवार्य (having restrained/prevented)

• balaḥ: Bala (Balarāma)
• balaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; (Baladeva/Balarāma)

• prāha: said
• prāha: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√ah (अह्/ब्रू धातु-समर्थ)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• mada-lola-kalā-akṣaram: words marked by intoxication and fickle artistry
• mada-lola-kalā-akṣaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mada (प्रातिपदिक) + lola (प्रातिपदिक) + kalā (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (intoxication + fickle + art/gesture + syllable/word) विशेषण (qualifying implied vacana/wording)

• mokṣyanti: they will release
• mokṣyanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muc (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• mad-vacanāt: because of my command
• mad-vacanāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad (अस्मद्-षष्ठी-प्रातिपदिक) + vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (from my word/command)

• yāsyāmi: I will go
• yāsyāmi: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ekaḥ: alone
• ekaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (of speaker)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis/indeed)

• kauravān: the Kauravas
• kauravān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaurava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrative voice reports Bala speaking within the dynastic story (told by Sage Parāśara to Maitreya in the Vishnu Purana frame).

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: True strength can express itself as restraint and diplomatic initiative rather than immediate violence.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Before reacting in anger, appoint a calm emissary or take personal responsibility to de-escalate conflict.

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is upheld in the world through divinely-aligned exemplars (sat-puruṣas) who restrain passion and act for loka-saṅgraha.

Characters & Entities

• Bala

FAQs

What is the significance of the Kauravas being mentioned in the Vishnu Purana?

It signals that the Purana’s dynastic book (Ansha 4) intersects with epic-era Kuru history, anchoring genealogy and political episodes around the Kaurava line.

How does Sage Parāśara explain agency and authority in royal narratives?

Through compact scenes like this—where a single command (“at my word”) changes others’ actions—Parāśara’s narration highlights how power, counsel, and resolve drive outcomes in dynastic history.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in a given verse, the Vishnu Purana frames dynastic history under Vishnu’s overarching sovereignty—kings and clans rise and act within the larger order sustained by the Supreme Reality (Vishnu).