Shloka 18

Aghāsura-vadha: The Killing and Deliverance of Aghāsura

Devanagari script

द‍ृष्ट्वा तं ताद‍ृशं सर्वे मत्वा वृन्दावनश्रियम् । व्यात्ताजगरतुण्डेन ह्युत्प्रेक्षन्ते स्म लीलया ॥ १८ ॥

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā taṁ tādṛśaṁ sarve matvā vṛndāvana-śriyam vyāttājagara-tuṇḍena hy utprekṣante sma līlayā

Translation

اس دیو کے اژدہا جیسے عجیب و غریب روپ کو دیکھ کر سب گوال بالکوں نے اسے ورنداون کی خوبصورتی جیسا دلکش مقام سمجھ لیا۔ پھر اس کے پھیلے ہوئے منہ کو اژدہے کا منہ جان کر بےخوفی سے لیلا کے طور پر یوں ہی خیال کرنے لگے۔

Synonyms

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), from √दृश्; ‘having seen’

• तम्: him/that one
• तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• तादृशम्: such, of that kind
• तादृशम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तादृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; adjective qualifying ‘तम्’

• सर्वे: all (of them)
• सर्वे: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• मत्वा: having considered
• मत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), from √मन्; ‘having thought/considered’

• वृन्दावन-श्रियम्: the splendor of Vṛndāvana
• वृन्दावन-श्रियम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृन्दावन + श्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘वृन्दावनस्य श्रीः’

• व्यात्त-अजगर-तुण्डेन: with a gaping python-like mouth
• व्यात्त-अजगर-तुण्डेन: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यात्त (√यम्/या?; ‘to open’ as past passive participle used adjectivally) + अजगर + तुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; compound: ‘व्यात्तं अजगरस्य तुण्डम्’ → ‘with (its) gaping python-mouth’

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Avyaya (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), emphatic/causal ‘indeed/for’

• उत्प्रेक्षन्ते: they imagine
• उत्प्रेक्षन्ते: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत्-प्रेक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन), आत्मनेपद; ‘they imagine/they fancy’

• स्म: (narrative particle)
• स्म: Kriyā-sahakārī (क्रियासहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्म (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) indicating past narrative/continuative sense with present tense

• लीलया: playfully
• लीलया: Hetu/Prakāra (प्रकार/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लीला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; adverbial-instrumental ‘playfully’

Purport

Some of the boys, upon seeing this wonderful phenomenon, thought that it was in fact a python, and they were fleeing from the spot. But others said, “Why are you fleeing? It is not possible that a python like this is staying here. This is a spot of beauty for sporting.” This is what they imagined.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Vraja-gopa-bālāḥ (cowherd boys)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about Krishna’s Vrindavan pastimes being beyond fear?

This verse shows the cowherd boys treating a potentially deadly sight as mere play, because in Vṛndāvana under Kṛṣṇa’s presence even danger is transformed into līlā.

Why did the cowherd boys think the demon looked like a python with an open mouth?

They saw an extraordinary form and, assuming it was part of Vṛndāvana’s wondrous scenery, imagined it as a gaping-mouthed serpent—an innocent, playful misreading of a hidden threat.

How can this shloka be applied in modern life for spiritual practice?

It teaches cultivating trust in Bhagavān’s protection: with steady bhakti, fear lessens and challenges are met with composure rather than panic.