Shloka 31

Devanagari script

आख्यातं च जनैस् तेषां चौरीभूतैर् अराजके राष्ट्रे तु लोकैर् आरब्धं परस्वादानम् आतुरैः

Transliteration

ākhyātaṃ ca janais teṣāṃ caurībhūtair arājake rāṣṭre tu lokair ārabdhaṃ parasvādānam āturaiḥ

Translation

And the people reported that, when the kingdom fell into a kingless condition, the populace—driven by distress—turned thief; and in that lawless realm they began taking what belonged to others.

Word by Word

• ākhyātam: was reported/told
• ākhyātam: Kriyā (Predicate/कर्मणि-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-khyā (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि/Passive past participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन = PPP ‘told/announced’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) = ‘and’

• janaiḥ: by people
• janaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन = Masculine, Instrumental plural

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन = Genitive plural ‘of them’

• caurībhūtaiḥ: having turned into thieves
• caurībhūtaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier of ‘janaiḥ/lokaiḥ’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caurī-bhūta (प्रातिपदिक); caurī (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन = Masculine, Instrumental plural; समासः: तत्पुरुष (भाव-तत्पुरुष) ‘having become thieves/turned to theft’

• arājake: kingless
• arājake: Visheshana (Qualifier of ‘rāṣṭre’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-rājaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन = Neuter, Locative singular; नञ्-समास/उपसर्ग ‘without a king’

• rāṣṭre: in the kingdom
• rāṣṭre: Adhikarana (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāṣṭra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन = Neuter, Locative singular

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/विशेषार्थक निपात) = particle ‘but/indeed’

• lokaiḥ: by the people
• lokaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन = Masculine, Instrumental plural

• ārabdham: was begun
• ārabdham: Kriyā (Predicate/कर्मणि-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-rabh (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन = PPP ‘begun/undertaken’

• parasvādānam: taking others’ property (theft)
• parasvādānam: Karma (Object/Thing begun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para-sva-ādāna (प्रातिपदिक); para (प्रातिपदिक) + sva (प्रातिपदिक) + ādāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन = Neuter, Nom/Acc singular; समासः तत्पुरुष: ‘परस्य स्वस्य आदानम्’ = taking others’ property

• āturaiḥ: by the distressed/afflicted
• āturaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier of ‘lokaiḥ’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ātura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन = Masculine, Instrumental plural; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: What caused the dust and commotion in the realm?

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When sovereign protection collapses, social dharma deteriorates and people, driven by fear and want, fall into adharma such as theft.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Strengthen personal integrity and community safeguards—especially in crisis—so distress does not become a pretext for harming others’ livelihood.

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is a real order within Bhagavān’s governed universe; its breakdown has tangible consequences for embodied souls (cit) in the world (acit).

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• People (loka)
• Kingless realm (arājaka rāṣṭra)

FAQs

What is the significance of a kingless state (arājakatā) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents arājakatā as a direct cause of social collapse: without sovereign protection and justice, distress spreads and people resort to stealing, showing that governance is a pillar of dharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the rise of theft and disorder?

Parāśara frames it as a chain reaction—when the realm becomes kingless, people become 'caurībhūta' (thief-like) out of hardship, and the taking of others’ property becomes normalized.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s Vaishnava frame treats dharma and rightful rule as expressions of cosmic order sustained by the Supreme; disorder signals deviation from that Vishnu-grounded harmony.