Shloka 18

अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः

Devanagari script

ततो यष्टिप्रहरणा दस्यवो लोप्त्रहारिणः सहस्रशो ऽभ्यधावन्त तं जनं निहतेश्वरम्

Transliteration

tato yaṣṭipraharaṇā dasyavo loptrahāriṇaḥ sahasraśo 'bhyadhāvanta taṃ janaṃ nihateśvaram

Translation

แล้วพวกโจรผู้ถือกระบอง—ผู้ยังชีพด้วยการลักขโมยและปล้นสะดม—ก็กรูกันมานับพันเข้าจู่โจมผู้คนเหล่านั้น ซึ่งไร้ที่พึ่งเพราะเจ้านายถูกสังหารแล้ว

Word by Word

ततःthen

यष्टिप्रहरणाःstick-wielding (men)

दस्यवःbandits, robbers

लोप्त्रहारिणःloot-stealers

सहस्रशःby the thousand

अभ्यधावन्तran towards, charged

तम्that (man)

जनम्person, man

निहतेश्वरम्whose leader was slain

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When legitimate guardianship is removed, predatory forces multiply, and society’s weak become immediate targets.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Strengthen just institutions and personal responsibility for protection of dependents; do not assume safety is permanent.

Vishishtadvaita: Order (ṛta/dharma) is sustained by the Lord; its erosion manifests as adharma and insecurity in the world.

Characters & Entities

Bandits (dasyu)

FAQs

What is the significance of a slain ruler (nihateśvara) in the Vishnu Purana’s political theology?

This verse frames kingship as protective sovereignty: when the ruler falls, public order collapses and predatory forces quickly overwhelm society.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the breakdown of social order in dynasty narratives?

By showing cause-and-effect: the loss of rightful protection leads immediately to fear, plunder, and the dominance of adharmic actors like dasyus.

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

Implicitly, Vishnu is the ultimate ground of order (dharma); when worldly sovereignty fails, the Purana points to divine sovereignty as the enduring source of stability and restoration.