Shloka 43

Devanagari script

यावदेतत्‌ प्रलिप्तं ते गात्रेषु मधुसूदन । अतो मृत्युभयं नास्ति यावदिच्छसि चाच्युत

Transliteration

yāvad etat praliptaṃ te gātreṣu madhusūdana | ato mṛtyu-bhayaṃ nāsti yāvad icchasi cācyuta ||

Translation

Vāyu nói: “Hỡi Madhusūdana, chừng nào lớp phủ này còn lan trên các chi thể của ngươi, chừng ấy nơi những phần đã được phủ ấy, ngươi sẽ không còn sợ chết vì vết thương. Hỡi Acyuta, ngươi sẽ ở đây bất tử bao lâu tùy ý ngươi.”

Word by Word

• यावत्: as far as / so long as
• यावत्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत्
• Form: correlative adverb (yāvat–tāvat construction)

• एतत्: this (thing/ointment)
• एतत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: neuter, nominative singular

• प्रलिप्तम्: smeared/anointed
• प्रलिप्तम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रलिप्त
• Form: neuter, nominative singular; past passive participle (from प्र+लिप्)

• ते: of you/your
• ते: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: genitive singular (enclitic)

• गात्रेषु: in the limbs
• गात्रेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गात्र
• Form: neuter, locative plural

• मधुसूदन: O slayer of Madhu
• मधुसूदन: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधुसूदन
• Form: masculine, vocative singular

• अतः: therefore/from that
• अतः: Hetu
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः
• Form: indeclinable (ablatival adverb)

• मृत्युभयम्: fear of death
• मृत्युभयम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्युभय
• Form: neuter, nominative singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न
• Form: negation particle

• अस्ति: is/exists
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: present tense, 3rd person, singular, parasmaipada

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत्
• Form: correlative adverb

• इच्छसि: you wish/desire
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष्
• Form: present tense, 2nd person, singular, parasmaipada

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: conjunction

• अच्युत: O Acyuta (the unfailing one)
• अच्युत: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अच्युत
• Form: masculine, vocative singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu (Wind-god)
• Madhusūdana (Kṛṣṇa)
• Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa)
• pralepa/anointment (protective coating)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the idea that divine protection can suspend ordinary human vulnerability: fear of death is removed not by arrogance but by a granted safeguard, limited by a condition (the coating remains) and by the recipient’s will (as long as he desires).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu addresses Kṛṣṇa with honorific epithets and declares a boon: wherever the protective substance has been applied on Kṛṣṇa’s limbs, injuries there will not cause death, and Kṛṣṇa may remain deathless for as long as he chooses.