मल्लानामशनिर्नृणां नरवर: स्त्रीणां स्मरो मूर्तिमान्गोपानां स्वजनोऽसतां क्षितिभुजां शास्ता स्वपित्रो: शिशु: । मृत्युर्भोजपतेर्विराडविदुषां तत्त्वं परं योगिनांवृष्णीनां परदेवतेति विदितो रङ्गं गत: साग्रज: ॥ १७ ॥
mallānām aśanir nṛṇāṁ nara-varaḥ strīṇāṁ smaro mūrtimān gopānāṁ sva-jano ’satāṁ kṣiti-bhujāṁ śāstā sva-pitroḥ śiśuḥ mṛtyur bhoja-pater virāḍ aviduṣāṁ tattvaṁ paraṁ yogināṁ vṛṣṇīnāṁ para-devateti vidito raṅgaṁ gataḥ sāgrajaḥ
- mallānām
- for the wrestlers
- aśaniḥ
- lightning
- nṛṇām
- for the males
- nara-varaḥ
- the best of men
- strīṇām
- for the women
- smaraḥ
- Cupid
- mūrti-mān
- incarnate
- gopānām
- for the cowherds
- sva-janaḥ
- their relative
- asatām
- impious
- kṣiti-bhujām
- for the kings
- śāstā
- a punisher
- sva-pitroḥ
- for His parents
- śiśuḥ
- a child
- mṛtyuḥ
- death
- bhoja-pateḥ
- for the King of the Bhojas, Kaṁsa
- virāṭ
- the totality of the material universe
- aviduṣām
- for the unintelligent
- tattvam
- the Truth
- param
- Supreme
- yoginām
- for the yogīs
- vṛṣṇīnām
- for the members of the Vṛṣṇi dynasty
- para-devatā
- their most worshipable Deity
- iti
- in these ways
- viditaḥ
- understood
- raṅgam
- the arena
- gataḥ
- He entered
- sa
- along with
- agra-jaḥ
- His elder brother
The various groups of people in the arena regarded Kṛṣṇa in different ways when He entered it with His elder brother. The wrestlers saw Kṛṣṇa as a lightning bolt, the men of Mathurā as the best of males, the women as Cupid in person, the cowherd men as their relative, the impious rulers as a chastiser, His parents as their child, the King of the Bhojas as death, the unintelligent as the Supreme Lord’s universal form, the yogīs as the Absolute Truth and the Vṛṣṇis as their supreme worshipable Deity.