Shloka 16

द्विविद-वधः, यज्ञ-विध्वंस-निवारणम्, बलदेव-पराक्रम-समाहारः

Devanagari script

ततः समुत्थाय बलो जगृहे मुसलं रुषा सो ऽपि शैलशिलां भीमां जग्राह प्लवगोत्तमः

Transliteration

tataḥ samutthāya balo jagṛhe musalaṃ ruṣā so 'pi śailaśilāṃ bhīmāṃ jagrāha plavagottamaḥ

Translation

แล้วพระพลรามลุกขึ้นด้วยพิโรธ คว้าคทา (มุสละ) ของพระองค์; ส่วนวีรกระบี่ผู้เลิศก็ยกแผ่นศิลาภูผาอันน่ากลัวขึ้นมา

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

समुत्थायhaving risen up

बलःBala (Balarāma)

जगृहेtook, seized

मुसलम्club, mace

रुषाwith anger, in wrath

सःhe

अपिalso

शैलशिलाम्a rock of a mountain

भीमाम्terrible, huge

जग्राहseized

प्लवगोत्तमःthe best of monkeys (Dvivida)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

Balarama (Baladeva)

Vanara (plavagottama)

FAQs

What is the significance of Balarama’s musala (mace) in the Vishnu Purana?

In this verse the musala functions as Balarāma’s emblem of irresistible strength and the enforcement of order—heroic power mobilized to subdue disruptive forces.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the escalation of conflict in this scene?

Parāśara narrates it as a rapid, reciprocal arming: Balarāma rises in anger and takes up his mace, while the vanara-hero counters by lifting a massive mountain-rock, intensifying the confrontation.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the episode belongs to the Vishnu-centered narrative world where divine sovereignty is expressed through Vishnu’s associates—Balarāma’s decisive action signals the restoration of dharma under that supreme order.