Shloka 87

अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः

Devanagari script

जातस्य नियतो मृत्युः पतनं च तथोन्नतेः विप्रयोगावसानश् च संयोगः संचयात् क्षयः

Transliteration

jātasya niyato mṛtyuḥ patanaṃ ca tathonnateḥ viprayogāvasānaś ca saṃyogaḥ saṃcayāt kṣayaḥ

Translation

Wer geboren ist, dem ist der Tod gewiss; wer aufsteigt, dem ist auch der Fall gewiss. Jede Vereinigung endet in Trennung, und alles Angehäufte geht unweigerlich der Minderung und dem Verlust entgegen.

Word by Word

• jātasya: of the born (being)
• jātasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jan (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle/क्त) ‘जात’ as adjective, पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — ‘of one who is born’

• niyataḥ: certain; fixed
• niyataḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niyata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — agreeing with मृत्युः

• mṛtyuḥ: death
• mṛtyuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• patanam: fall
• patanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — ‘likewise’

• unnateḥ: of rise; of prosperity
• unnateḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: unnati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — ‘of elevation/prosperity’

• viprayoga-avasānaḥ: ending in separation
• viprayoga-avasānaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viprayoga (प्रातिपदिक) + avasāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-भाव), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — ‘ending consisting in separation’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• saṃyogaḥ: union; association
• saṃyogaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃyoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• saṃcayāt: from accumulation
• saṃcayāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃcaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन — ‘from accumulation’

• kṣayaḥ: decay; loss
• kṣayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: All conditioned phenomena are marked by inevitabilities—birth ends in death, ascent in fall, union in separation, accumulation in depletion.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Practice non-attachment: plan wisely but remember outcomes are transient; invest in dharma and inner cultivation rather than mere acquisition.

Vishishtadvaita: The transience of prakṛti and its modifications contrasts with the enduring dependence of selves on the Supreme, guiding surrender over possessiveness.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

FAQs

What is the significance of impermanence (anityatā) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse compresses the Purāṇic warning that all conditioned states—birth, status, relationships, and wealth—are governed by inevitable decline, urging the seeker to look beyond the transient world.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the nature of worldly attachments here?

By stating that every union ends in separation and every accumulation ends in loss, Parāśara frames attachment as structurally unstable within saṃsāra, making discernment and detachment a rational spiritual response.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Against the certainty of change, Vishnu is implied as the unchanging refuge—Supreme Reality—whose remembrance and surrender provide stability beyond the rise-and-fall pattern of the world.