Shloka 16

प्रद्युम्न-अपहरणम्, मत्स्य-उद्धारः, मायावती-शिक्षा, शम्बरवधः, रुक्मिणी-पुत्र-संगमः

Devanagari script

क्षिप्तः समुद्रे मत्स्यस्य संप्राप्तो जठरान् मया सा तु रोदिति ते माता कान्ताद्याप्य् अतिवत्सला

Transliteration

kṣiptaḥ samudre matsyasya saṃprāpto jaṭharān mayā sā tu roditi te mātā kāntādyāpy ativatsalā

Translation

เมื่อถูกโยนลงทะเล เจ้าก็ไปถึงท้องของปลา—สิ่งนั้นเกิดขึ้นเพราะเราเอง แต่แม่ของเจ้ายังอ่อนโยนยิ่งนักจนถึงวันนี้; โอ้ที่รัก นางยังคงร่ำไห้เพราะเจ้า

Word by Word

क्षिप्तःthrown, cast

समुद्रेin the sea

मत्स्यस्यof a fish

संप्राप्तःreached, came to

जठरान्bellies, stomachs

मयाby me

साshe

तुbut

रोदितिcries, weeps

तेyour

माताmother

कान्ताbeloved (wife)

अद्यापिeven today, still

अतिवत्सलाexceedingly affectionate

Speaker

Unspecified in the provided excerpt (likely a character within Parasara’s narrated genealogy, speaking to the addressed child/son).

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Vishnu as Krishna manifests to protect His devotees and lineage, ensuring the continuation of dharma through the Yadus.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Preservation of the divine lineage and protection of parental/filial dharma against asuric violence.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even amidst calamity, Bhagavān’s protective order can operate through improbable means, sustaining what is divinely purposed.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: In personal crises, hold steady in trust and devotion, recognizing that outcomes may arrive through unexpected channels.

Vishishtadvaita: Divine governance (niyamanatva) works within the world’s contingencies; the Lord’s will sustains embodied beings without negating their lived emotions (like parental grief).

Dynasty & Genealogy

Vamsha: Chandra

Key Kings: Pradyumna

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Vishnu

Bhakti Type: Vatsalya

Vyuha Form: Pradyumna

Characters & Entities

Mother (unnamed)

Fish (matsya)

FAQs

What is the significance of the ‘cast into the sea’ motif in the Vishnu Purana?

It functions as a dynastic-plot device: the threatened heir survives through extraordinary circumstances, preserving lineage continuity while highlighting fate (daiva) and moral consequence.

How does Sage Parasara typically frame such emotional episodes within genealogies?

He presents them as concise, instructive turning points—personal sorrow (like a mother’s grief) becomes the narrative hinge that explains separation, survival, and eventual restoration in a lineage.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in a given verse, the Purāṇic worldview assumes sovereignty of the Supreme—events in dynastic history unfold under the overarching order upheld by Vishnu (as the ground of dharma and cosmic governance).