Vishnu Purana 5.8.3 — Krishna Avatara, Amsha 5, Adhyaya 8, Shloka 3

तालवन-उद्धारः: धेनुकासुरवधः, फल-समृद्धिः, गो-क्षेमः

Devanagari script

तत् तु तालवनं पक्वफलसंपत्समन्वितम् दृष्ट्वा स्पृहान्विता गोपाः फलादाने ऽब्रुवन् वचः

Transliteration

tat tu tālavanaṃ pakvaphalasaṃpatsamanvitam dṛṣṭvā spṛhānvitā gopāḥ phalādāne 'bruvan vacaḥ

Translation

പഴുത്ത ഫലങ്ങളുടെ സമൃദ്ധിയാൽ നിറഞ്ഞ ആ താലവനം ഗോപർ കണ്ടപ്പോൾ അവരുടെ ഹൃദയത്തിൽ ആഗ്രഹം ഉണർന്നു; ഫലങ്ങൾ ശേഖരിക്കുവാൻ അവർ തമ്മിൽ സംസാരിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• tat: that (grove)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• tālavanaṃ: the palm-grove (Tālavana)
• tālavanaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāla + vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (tālasya vanam)

• pakvaphalasaṃpatsamanvitam: endowed with plentiful ripe fruits
• pakvaphalasaṃpatsamanvitam: Karma (Object attribute/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pakva + phala + saṃpat + samanvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (pakva-phala-saṃpat-samanvita: ‘endowed with abundance of ripe fruits’)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Hetu/पूर्वक्रिया (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); धातु: दृश् (to see)

• spṛhā-anvitāḥ: filled with longing
• spṛhā-anvitāḥ: Karta (Subject attribute/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: spṛhā + anvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषभावः (spṛhayā anvitāḥ: ‘possessed of desire/longing’)

• gopāḥ: the cowherds
• gopāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gopa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• phalādāne: in (the matter of) taking the fruits
• phalādāne: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala + ādāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (phalānām ādānam)

• abruvan: said/spoke
• abruvan: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• vacaḥ: words
• vacaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: In Vraja, ordinary desires (like tasting fruit) become sanctified when directed toward and shared with the Lord in loving companionship.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Offer everyday enjoyments to God first and share them in a spirit of gratitude and community.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord participates intimately in devotees’ embodied life, making the world a venue of grace rather than a mere obstacle.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Sakhya

Characters & Entities

• Tālavana

FAQs

What is the significance of Tālavana in the Vishnu Purana?

Tālavana is presented as a fruit-laden grove that becomes the narrative setting where a simple desire of the gopas initiates a larger divine sequence within Krishna’s līlā.

How does Sage Parāśara frame the gopas’ desire in this episode?

Parāśara describes it as a natural, almost everyday longing on seeing abundance—yet it functions as the immediate cause that moves the story forward toward Krishna’s protective and sovereign action.

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

Even when the verse describes ordinary human impulses, the Vishnu Purana’s Krishna narrative implies that the Supreme Lord’s will quietly governs events, turning common motives into occasions for divine protection and revelation.