Shloka 52

भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः

Devanagari script

गृहीतो विष्टिना विप्रः सर्वज्ञानैकभाजनः जातिस्मरो ऽसौ पापस्य क्षयकाम उवाह ताम्

Transliteration

gṛhīto viṣṭinā vipraḥ sarvajñānaikabhājanaḥ jātismaro 'sau pāpasya kṣayakāma uvāha tām

Translation

أُخذ ذلك البراهمن بالسُّخرة—وهو الوعاء الفريد لكلّ معرفة—فصار ذا تذكّرٍ للولادات السابقة؛ وإذ رغب في فناء خطيئته اتخذها زوجةً له.

Word by Word

गृहीतःseized, taken

विष्टिनाby forced labour (corvée)

विप्रःthe brāhmaṇa

सर्वज्ञानैकभाजनःthe sole repository of all knowledge

जातिस्मरःremembering past births

असौthis man, he

पापस्यof sin

क्षयकामःdesiring the destruction (of sin)

उवाहcarried

ताम्that (palanquin)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya, within the dynastic narration)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: One endowed with higher knowledge may accept hardship as a means to exhaust past demerit, remaining inwardly detached while outwardly complying with circumstance.

Vedantic Theme: Karma

Application: When unavoidable difficulties arise, respond without bitterness; use them to deepen self-inquiry, restraint, and compassionate action rather than reactive blame.

Vishishtadvaita: Karmic fruition is real within the Lord’s governance; enduring it with surrender aligns the jīva’s will to the divine order while maintaining devotion.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

Brāhmaṇa (vipra)

Unnamed woman (tām)

FAQs

What is the significance of jātismara (remembering past births) in the Vishnu Purana?

In this verse it marks a karmic turning point: suffering awakens past-life memory, leading the person toward repentance and purposeful action aimed at pāpa-kṣaya (the wearing away of sin).

How does Sage Parāśara explain the link between suffering and moral transformation here?

He frames affliction (viṣṭi) as the catalyst that reveals karmic awareness (jātismara), after which the brāhmaṇa chooses a dhārmic course—marriage—explicitly to exhaust the results of wrongdoing.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when not named in the verse, the Vishnu Purana’s worldview assumes Vishnu’s sovereignty over moral order: karmic consequences unfold within his cosmic governance, and dharma-oriented choices become the means by which beings move toward purification.