Shloka 69

कालियदमना: यमुनाशुद्धिः, करुणा-निग्रहः, स्तुति-तत्त्वम्

Devanagari script

सर्पजातिर् इयं क्रूरा यस्यां जातो ऽस्मि केशव तत्स्वभावो ऽयम् अत्रास्ति नापराधो ममाच्युत

Transliteration

sarpajātir iyaṃ krūrā yasyāṃ jāto 'smi keśava tatsvabhāvo 'yam atrāsti nāparādho mamācyuta

Translation

“噢凯沙瓦，蛇族本性凶暴；我正生于此族。此处所住者唯此天性；故噢阿周陀，过失不在我。”

Word by Word

सर्पजातिःthe serpent-kind

इयम्this

क्रूराcruel

यस्याम्in which

जातःborn

अस्मिam

केशवO Keśava

तत्स्वभावःits nature

अयम्this

अत्रhere

अस्तिexists

नnot

अपराधःfault/offense

ममof me/my

अच्युतO Acyuta

Speaker

A serpent (nāga) addressing Lord Vishnu (Keśava/Acyuta) in a justificatory appeal about innate nature

Characters & Entities

Vishnu

FAQs

What is the significance of svabhāva (innate nature) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

The verse frames cruelty as a species-bound disposition (svabhāva) and raises the question of how far moral blame applies when behavior is rooted in birth and constitution.

How does the Vishnu Purana present accountability when actions arise from one’s jāti (birth-kind)?

Here the speaker argues diminished culpability due to jāti-based nature, while still placing Vishnu as the ultimate arbiter who upholds cosmic order beyond such self-justifications.

What is the theological importance of addressing Vishnu as Keśava and Acyuta in this context?

By invoking Vishnu’s supreme steadiness (Acyuta) and lordship (Keśava), the verse emphasizes that even innate tendencies fall under the sovereignty of the Supreme Reality who governs dharma and the moral structure of the world.