Shloka 68

कुब्जानुग्रहः, धनुर्भङ्गः, कुवलयापीडवधः, मल्लयुद्धं, कंसवधः, स्तुतयः

Devanagari script

चाणूरे निहते मल्ले मुष्टिके विनिपातिते नीते क्षयं तोशलके सर्वे मल्लाः प्रदुद्रुवुः

Transliteration

cāṇūre nihate malle muṣṭike vinipātite nīte kṣayaṃ tośalake sarve mallāḥ pradudruvuḥ

Translation

ಮಲ್ಲ ಚಾಣೂರನು ಹತನಾದಾಗ, ಮುಷ್ಟಿಕನು ಕೆಳಗೆ ಬಿದ್ದಾಗ ಮತ್ತು ತೋಶಲಕನು ನಾಶವಾದಾಗ, ಉಳಿದ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಮಲ್ಲರು ಭಯದಿಂದ ಓಡಿಹೋದರು.

Word by Word

• चाणूरे: in/when (the wrestler) Cāṇūra
• चाणूरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चाणूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular

• निहते: having been slain
• निहते: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-हन् (धातु) → निहत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — agreeing with चाणूरे

• मल्ले: when the wrestler (was slain)
• मल्ले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मल्ल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular

• मुष्टिके: when Muṣṭika (was...)
• मुष्टिके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुष्टिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular

• विनिपातिते: having been struck down
• विनिपातिते: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-नि-पत् (धातु) → विनिपातित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — agreeing with मुष्टिके

• नीते: having been led/brought
• नीते: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु) → नीत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — agreeing with (implicit) tośalake

• क्षयम्: to destruction; to death
• क्षयम्: Gati/Karma (Goal as object/गति-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• तोशलके: in/when Tośalaka (was led to death)
• तोशलके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोशलक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — Nominative plural

• मल्लाः: the wrestlers
• मल्लाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मल्ल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Nominative plural

• प्रदुद्रुवुः: fled away; ran off
• प्रदुद्रुवुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-द्रु (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन — 3rd plural perfect

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Kṛṣṇa manifests to destroy tyrannical forces in Mathurā and relieve the earth’s burden while protecting dharma and his devotees.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Protection of the innocent and the re-establishment of righteous kingship against adharma in public order

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Cāṇūra
• Muṣṭika
• Tośalaka
• Wrestlers (mallāḥ)

FAQs

What is the significance of the wrestlers’ defeat in the Vishnu Purana?

It marks the sudden breaking of Kamsa’s oppressive power-structure: once his champions fall, the rest lose courage and the arena’s adharma-driven order collapses.

How does Sage Parāśara frame the fall of Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika, and Tośalaka?

As a narrative turning-point where violence and arrogance are decisively checked—showing how dharma reasserts itself when the Lord’s purpose operates through the avatāra.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Even in a seemingly physical contest, the Purana implies the supremacy of Vishnu’s will: the avatāra’s act becomes the instrument by which adharma is removed and cosmic order is rebalanced.