Shloka 91

Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava

Devanagari script

सुदर्शन चास्य रराज शौरे- स्तच्चक्रपगद्म॑ सुभुजोरुनालम्‌ । यथादिपद्म तरुणार्कवर्ण रराज नारायणनाभिजातम्‌,श्रीकृष्णकी सुन्दर भुजारूपी विशाल नालसे सुशोभित वह सुदर्शनचक्र कमलके समान शोभा पा रहा था, मानो भगवान्‌ नारायणके नाभिसे प्रकट हुआ प्रात:कालीन सूर्यके समान कान्तिवाला आदिकमल प्रकाशित हो रहा हो

Transliteration

sudarśanaṃ cāsya rarāja śaureḥ tac cakrapadmaṃ subhujorunālam | yathādipadmaṃ taruṇārkavarṇaṃ rarāja nārāyaṇanābhijātam ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Upon Śauri (Kṛṣṇa), the Sudarśana shone brilliantly—his discus appearing like a lotus with a strong, lofty stalk formed by his beautiful arms. It gleamed like the primordial lotus, born from Nārāyaṇa’s navel, radiant with the hue of the young morning sun—an image that frames Kṛṣṇa’s martial readiness as divinely grounded rather than merely violent.

Word by Word

• {'sudarśanam': 'Sudarśana

• Kṛṣṇa’s divine discus (also ‘of auspicious/clear vision’)', 'asya': 'of him, his', 'rarāja': 'shone, blazed forth (perfect of √rāj)', 'śaureḥ': 'of Śauri (Kṛṣṇa, descendant of Śūra)', 'tat': 'that', 'cakra': 'discus, wheel-weapon', 'padmam': 'lotus', 'subhuja': 'beautiful/strong arms', 'uru': 'great, lofty, broad', 'nālam': 'stalk (of a lotus)', 'yathā': 'as, like', 'ādipadma': 'primordial/first lotus', 'taruṇa': 'young, fresh (here: early)', 'arka': 'sun', 'varṇam': 'color, radiance, hue', 'nārāyaṇa': 'Nārāyaṇa (Viṣṇu)', 'nābhi': 'navel', 'jātam': 'born, arisen'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śauri (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)
• Sudarśana (discus)
• Nārāyaṇa
• ādipadma (primordial lotus)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents Kṛṣṇa’s weapon not as mere instrument of destruction but as a manifestation of divine order: martial power is legitimate when aligned with dharma, symbolized through sacred imagery (the primordial lotus and Nārāyaṇa).

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Kṛṣṇa’s Sudarśana shining on the battlefield, likening it to a lotus with Kṛṣṇa’s arms as its stalk, and to the radiant primordial lotus said to arise from Nārāyaṇa’s navel.