Shloka 10

स्वाध्याय-योगोपदेशः तथा केशिध्वज-खाण्डिक्य-उपाख्यानम्

Yoga through Study and Restraint; The Keśidhvaja–Khāṇḍikya Narrative Frame

Devanagari script

ताव् उभाव् अपि चैवास्तां विजिगीषू परस्परम् केशिध्वजेन खाण्डिक्यः स्वराज्याद् अवरोपितः

Transliteration

tāv ubhāv api caivāstāṃ vijigīṣū parasparam keśidhvajena khāṇḍikyaḥ svarājyād avaropitaḥ

Translation

వారిద్దరూ పరస్పరాన్ని జయించాలనే ఆశతోనే నిలిచారు; కేశిధ్వజుడు ఖాండిక్యుణ్ని తన స్వరాజ్యంనుండి తొలగించాడు.

Word by Word

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

• उभाव्: both
• उभाव्: Karta (Apposition/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; "both" (apposition to तौ)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (also)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction: and)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Emphasis (Avadharana/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (particle: indeed/just)

• आस्ताम्: were, remained
• आस्ताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), द्विवचन; parasmaipada

• विजिगीषू: desirous of conquering
• विजिगीषू: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जि (धातु) + सन् (प्रत्यय)
• Form: सन्नन्त-प्रातिपदिक (desiderative adjective) "विजिगीषु"; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; विशेषण (qualifies तौ)

• परस्परम्: each other, mutually
• परस्परम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परस्पर (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (mutually)

• केशिध्वजेन: by Keśidhvaja
• केशिध्वजेन: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशिध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण/कर्तृ-निर्देश (agent in passive)

• खाण्डिक्यः: Khāṇḍikya
• खाण्डिक्यः: Karman (Patient/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खाण्डिक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; passive subject

• स्वराज्यात्: from his own kingdom
• स्वराज्यात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + राज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; स्वं राज्यं इति कर्मधारयः; ablative: "from (his) own kingdom"

• अवरोपितः: was deposed, removed
• अवरोपितः: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + रुह् (धातु) + णिच् (causative) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; "having been deposed/removed"

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How attachment to sovereignty and rivalry obstructs higher pursuit, setting the stage for renunciation/knowledge.

Teaching: Historical

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Mutual conquest-desire (vijigīṣā) exemplifies rājasic bondage that precipitates downfall and turns one toward (or away from) liberation.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Notice competitive impulses and redirect energy toward self-mastery, service, and study rather than domination.

Vishishtadvaita: Worldly power is subordinate to the Supreme’s order; true sovereignty is mastery of the self under the Lord’s governance.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Key Kings: Khāṇḍikya, Keśidhvaja

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Characters & Entities

• Keśidhvaja
• Khāṇḍikya
• Kings
• Kingdom (svārājya)

FAQs

What is the significance of sovereignty (svārājya) in this verse of the Vishnu Purana?

The verse frames kingship as precarious—svārājya can be lost when rulers are driven by conquest-desire (vijigīṣā), highlighting that political power is unstable and ethically charged.

How does Sage Parāśara explain conflict between kings in this chapter’s narrative flow?

Parāśara presents rivalry as mutual and escalating—both parties seek to overcome the other—culminating in deposition, a common Purāṇic motif showing the rise-and-fall rhythm within dynastic history.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context, even though He is not named in the verse?

Within the Vishnu Purana’s worldview, dynastic upheavals unfold under Vishnu’s supreme order (dharma-niyati): temporal sovereignty shifts, while the divine ground of reality remains constant.