Shloka 23
वंशवर्णनम्, अनिरुद्धविवाहः, तथा बलराम-रुक्मी द्यूतविवादः
ततो बलः समुत्थाय कोपसंरक्तलोचनः जघानाष्टापदेनैव रुक्मिणं स महाबलः
tato balaḥ samutthāya kopasaṃraktalocanaḥ jaghānāṣṭāpadenaiva rukmiṇaṃ sa mahābalaḥ
Lalu Balarāma bangkit berdiri, matanya merah karena murka; sang perkasa itu menjatuhkan Rukmī hanya dengan papan permainan aṣṭāpada.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Vishnu Form: Hari
Vyuha Form: Sankarshana
FAQs
It portrays Baladeva as the enforcer of kshatriya honor and discipline—swiftly correcting arrogance and insult, thereby reasserting dharma within royal conduct.
Parāśara narrates anger as a visible, embodied force (“reddened eyes”) that, when borne by a divinely empowered protector like Balarāma, becomes an instrument of immediate royal justice rather than mere personal rage.
Though Vishnu is not named in this single verse, the Vishnu Purana presents the Yadava heroes as operating within Vishnu’s sovereign order—where dharma is preserved through decisive correction of adharma and pride.