Shloka 10

Śakaṭa-bhañjana, Naming by Garga, Dāmodara and Yamala-arjuna, and the Move to Vṛndāvana

Devanagari script

स्वल्पेनैव हि कालेन रिङ्गिणौ तौ तदा व्रजे घृष्टजानुकरौ विप्र बभूवतुर् उभाव् अपि

Transliteration

svalpenaiva hi kālena riṅgiṇau tau tadā vraje ghṛṣṭajānukarau vipra babhūvatur ubhāv api

Translation

Вскоре, о брахман, в Врадже эти двое стали проворными ползунками; и, ползая, оба стерли колени о землю.

Word by Word

• स्वल्पेन: with a short (amount)
• स्वल्पेन: Karana (Instrumental-of-measure/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘कालेन’)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण) — ‘just/indeed’

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — emphasis/causal ‘for/indeed’

• कालेन: in (a span of) time
• कालेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — करण (measure of time)

• रिङ्गिणौ: crawling (ones)
• रिङ्गिणौ: Karta (Subject-Qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रिङ्गिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन — विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘तौ’)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन — subject

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — ‘then’

• व्रजे: in Vraja
• व्रजे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — अधिकरण (location)

• घृष्टजानुकरौ: with knees and hands rubbed (from crawling)
• घृष्टजानुकरौ: Karta (Subject-Qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घृष्ट-जानु-कर (प्रातिपदिक; घृष्ट + जानु + कर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन — विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘तौ’)

• विप्र: O brāhmaṇa
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन — संबोधन

• बभूवतुः: became
• बभूवतुः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन — ‘बभूवतुः’ (the two became)

• उभाव्: both
• उभाव्: Karta (Apposition/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उभ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन — apposition to ‘तौ’

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

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

• Vraja
• the two infants (ubhau)

FAQs

What is the significance of depicting infancy (crawling in Vraja) in the Vishnu Purana?

It highlights līlā: the Supreme is shown in intimate, human-like moments, making devotion (bhakti) emotionally accessible while still implying divine purpose behind ordinary scenes.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the narrative here?

Parāśara continues a dynastic-episode style narration, describing concrete, observable details to ground the larger sacred history in lived reality, while Maitreya remains the listening inquirer.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when portrayed as an infant subject to time and physical conditions, the subtext in Vaishnava theology is that Vishnu’s supremacy remains unchanged—his ‘human’ actions are voluntary līlā, not limitation.