Shloka 43

Devanagari script

यावदेतत्‌ प्रलिप्तं ते गात्रेषु मधुसूदन । अतो मृत्युभयं नास्ति यावदिच्छसि चाच्युत

Transliteration

yāvad etat praliptaṃ te gātreṣu madhusūdana | ato mṛtyu-bhayaṃ nāsti yāvad icchasi cācyuta ||

Translation

వాయువు పలికెను—ఓ మధుసూదన! నీ అవయవాలపై ఈ లేపనం ఎంతవరకు పూయబడి ఉందో, అంతవరకు ఆ భాగాలకు గాయం అయినా నీకు మృత్యుభయం ఉండదు. ఓ అచ్యుత! నీవు కోరినంతకాలం ఇక్కడ అమరుడిగా నిలిచియుండెదవు.

Word by Word

• यावत्: as far as / so long as
• यावत्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत्
• Form: correlative adverb (yāvat–tāvat construction)

• एतत्: this (thing/ointment)
• एतत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: neuter, nominative singular

• प्रलिप्तम्: smeared/anointed
• प्रलिप्तम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रलिप्त
• Form: neuter, nominative singular; past passive participle (from प्र+लिप्)

• ते: of you/your
• ते: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: genitive singular (enclitic)

• गात्रेषु: in the limbs
• गात्रेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गात्र
• Form: neuter, locative plural

• मधुसूदन: O slayer of Madhu
• मधुसूदन: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधुसूदन
• Form: masculine, vocative singular

• अतः: therefore/from that
• अतः: Hetu
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः
• Form: indeclinable (ablatival adverb)

• मृत्युभयम्: fear of death
• मृत्युभयम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्युभय
• Form: neuter, nominative singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न
• Form: negation particle

• अस्ति: is/exists
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: present tense, 3rd person, singular, parasmaipada

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत्
• Form: correlative adverb

• इच्छसि: you wish/desire
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष्
• Form: present tense, 2nd person, singular, parasmaipada

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: conjunction

• अच्युत: O Acyuta (the unfailing one)
• अच्युत: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अच्युत
• Form: masculine, vocative singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu (Wind-god)
• Madhusūdana (Kṛṣṇa)
• Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa)
• pralepa/anointment (protective coating)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the idea that divine protection can suspend ordinary human vulnerability: fear of death is removed not by arrogance but by a granted safeguard, limited by a condition (the coating remains) and by the recipient’s will (as long as he desires).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu addresses Kṛṣṇa with honorific epithets and declares a boon: wherever the protective substance has been applied on Kṛṣṇa’s limbs, injuries there will not cause death, and Kṛṣṇa may remain deathless for as long as he chooses.