Shloka 15

बाणयुद्धम्, हरिहरसंवादः, ज्वरप्रकरणम्, अनिरुद्धमोचनम्

Bāṇa’s War, the Jvara Episode, Hari–Hara Dialogue, and Aniruddha’s Release

Devanagari script

तद्भस्मस्पर्शसंभूततापः कृष्णाङ्गसंगमात् अवाप बलदेवो ऽपि श्रमम् आमीलितेक्षणः

Transliteration

tadbhasmasparśasaṃbhūtatāpaḥ kṛṣṇāṅgasaṃgamāt avāpa baladevo 'pi śramam āmīlitekṣaṇaḥ

Translation

ആ ഭസ്മസ്പർശത്തിൽ നിന്നുയർന്ന ചൂട്—കൃഷ്ണദേഹസാന്നിധ്യം മൂലം കൂടുതൽ കഠിനമായി—ബലദേവനെയും ക്ഷീണിപ്പിച്ചു; അവന്റെ കണ്ണുകൾ ഭാരമായി പകുതി അടഞ്ഞു।

Word by Word

• तद्भस्मस्पर्शसंभूततापः: the heat produced by touching that ash
• तद्भस्मस्पर्शसंभूततापः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् + भस्म + स्पर्श + संभूत + ताप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः; ‘heat arisen from the touch of that ash’

• कृष्णाङ्गसंगमात्: from contact with Kṛṣṇa’s body
• कृष्णाङ्गसंगमात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण + अङ्ग + संगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन — तत्पुरुषः; ‘from contact with Kṛṣṇa’s body’

• अवाप: obtained, experienced
• अवाप: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• बलदेवः: Baladeva
• बलदेवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — ‘also, even’

• श्रमम्: fatigue, exhaustion
• श्रमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• आमीलितेक्षणः: with eyes closed
• आमीलितेक्षणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + मील् (धातु) + इत (कृदन्त) + ईक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — बहुव्रीहि; कृदन्त-विशेषण; ‘one whose eyes are closed’ (āmīlita = past passive participle)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Description of the battle’s intensity and its effects even on Baladeva

Teaching: Historical

Quality: vivid, revealing

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Krishna’s overwhelming tejas is shown as even Baladeva feels the heat in the clash with Māheśvara Jvara, underscoring the gravity of the divine contest protecting dharma.

Leela: Yuddha

Dharma Restored: Demonstration that even divine allies experience strain in cosmic battles, while Krishna remains the decisive protector

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Power (tejas) has palpable consequences; even the mighty must act with restraint and rely on the Lord’s higher protection when forces become overwhelming.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Recognize limits, avoid pride in strength, and seek steadiness through remembrance of Bhagavān when circumstances ‘overheat’ the mind and body.

Vishishtadvaita: Embodied divinities (like Baladeva) participate in līlā with real experiential states, while still remaining dependent on the supreme will of Krishna-Nārāyaṇa.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Baladeva (Balarama)

FAQs

What is the significance of Baladeva’s fatigue in the Vishnu Purana?

It highlights the Purana’s lila-style narration: even exalted figures move within embodied circumstances, making the episode vivid while the broader text still upholds Vishnu (as Krishna) as the supreme sovereign reality.

How does Sage Parāśara explain embodied conditions like heat and weariness in divine narratives?

Through straightforward storytelling: Parāśara describes observable causes (contact with ashes, closeness to Krishna) to convey immediacy and dramatic texture, while the theological frame of Vishnu’s supremacy remains implicit in the larger Krishna-Charita.

What is the theological importance of Krishna in this context?

Krishna’s presence is portrayed as powerfully affecting the scene, reinforcing that the avatāra’s lila unfolds in the world while the Vishnu Purana’s overarching doctrine continues to present Vishnu/Krishna as the ultimate ground of order and sovereignty.