Shloka 51

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

Devanagari script

उवाह शिबिकां तस्य क्षत्तुर् वचनचोदितः नृणां विष्टिगृहीतानाम् अन्येषां सो ऽपि मध्यगः

Transliteration

uvāha śibikāṃ tasya kṣattur vacanacoditaḥ nṛṇāṃ viṣṭigṛhītānām anyeṣāṃ so 'pi madhyagaḥ

Translation

Durch den Befehl des königlichen Dieners angetrieben, trug auch er die Sänfte und stellte sich in die Mitte der anderen Männer, die zum Frondienst gepresst worden waren.

Word by Word

उवाहcarried, bore

शिबिकाम्palanquin

तस्यof him, his

क्षत्तुःof the chamberlain/attendant (kṣattṛ)

वचनचोदितःurged by (his) command/words

नृणाम्of men

विष्टिगृहीतानाम्of those taken for forced labour

अन्येषाम्of the others

सःhe

अपिalso

मध्यगःstanding/placed in the middle

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Worldly power compels bodies into service, but true worth is not measured by social compulsion; endurance becomes a field for inner discernment.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Notice where coercion (external pressure, social demand) drives actions; cultivate inner steadiness and ethical boundaries while performing necessary duties.

Vishishtadvaita: Even amid social compulsion, the self remains a dependent mode (śeṣa) of the Lord; dignity is grounded in the ātman’s relation to Nārāyaṇa, not in status.

Characters & Entities

King Rahugana

Jada Bharata

Royal attendant (kṣattṛ)

Forced labourers (viṣṭi-gṛhīta)

FAQs

What is the significance of forced labour (viṣṭi) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It highlights the coercive mechanisms of worldly kingship and sets the stage for the contrast between external compulsion and the inner freedom of the realized sage (Jada Bharata).

How does Sage Parāśara explain the scene of the palanquin carriers in this chapter?

Parāśara narrates that, under the attendant’s orders, Jada Bharata is made to join men compelled into service, emphasizing the social setting that leads to the king’s later encounter with higher wisdom.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in this line, the episode serves Vishnu Purana’s broader teaching: worldly power is secondary to Self-knowledge and dharma—truths ultimately grounded in the Supreme Reality upheld by Vishnu.