Mahabharata · 2.42.23–24
॥
Devanāgarī
ततः कमलपत्राक्षं कृष्णं लोकनमस्कृतम् ॥
ववन्दे तत् तदा तेजो विवेश च नराधिप ॥
तद् अद्भुतम् अमन्यन्त दृष्ट्वा सर्वे महीक्षितः ॥
यद् विवेश महाबाहुं तत् तेजः पुरुषोत्तमम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
tataḥ kamalapatrākṣaṃ kṛṣṇaṃ lokanamaskṛtam ||
vavande tat tadā tejo viveśa ca narādhipa ||
tad adbhutam amanyanta dṛṣṭvā sarve mahīkṣitaḥ ||
yad viveśa mahābāhuṃ tat tejaḥ puruṣottamam ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ततः कमल-पत्र-अक्षंtataḥ kamala-patra-akṣaṃthen, the lotus-petal-eyed
कृष्णं लोक-नमस्कृतम्kṛṣṇaṃ loka-namaskṛtamKrishna, worshipped by the world,
ववन्दे तत् तदा तेजोvavande tat tadā tejothat radiance then honored
विवेश च नराधिपviveśa ca narādhipaand entered [him], O lord of men;
तद् अद्भुतम् अमन्यन्तtad adbhutam amanyantathat they deemed a wonder,
दृष्ट्वा सर्वे महीक्षितःdṛṣṭvā sarve mahīkṣitaḥhaving seen, all the rulers of the earth —
यद् विवेश महाबाहुंyad viveśa mahābāhuṃthat it entered the mighty-armed one,
तत् तेजः पुरुषोत्तमम्tat tejaḥ puruṣottamamthat radiance, [entered] Purushottama.
कमलपत्राक्षंkamalapatrākṣaṃoriginal form "kamalapatrākṣaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
लोकनमस्कृतम्lokanamaskṛtamoriginal form "lokanamaskṛtam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
Then that radiance paid homage to the lotus-eyed Krishna, worshipped by the whole world, and entered him, O lord of men. And all the rulers of the earth deemed it a wonder when they saw that radiance enter the mighty-armed Purushottama.
Version
9e508136fbc3 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:49:21 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
More wondrous than the slaying itself is its outcome: the radiance of Shishupala, before entering Krishna, "paid homage" to Him. It is telling that even an enemy who spent a whole life reviling the Lord attains, in death by His hand, not destruction but union with Him. Such is the Supreme's boundless mercy: by constantly remembering Krishna — even in hatred — Shishupala was purified by that very unceasing thought, and the Lord received him into Himself. The verse teaches how wide grace can be: death at God's own hand becomes, for the soul, a gateway to Him. But this is a special mystery, not to be imitated: what saves is not anger at the Lord, but closeness to Him; here, even hostile closeness has been transmuted by mercy into an outcome surpassing merit.