Shloka 63

Pracetās, Māriṣā, Dakṣa’s Re-manifestation, and the Brahma-parastava; Cyclic Creation and Genealogies

Devanagari script

भगवन् बालवैधव्याद् वृथाजन्माहम् ईदृशी मन्दभाग्या समुद्भूता विफला च जगत्पते

Transliteration

bhagavan bālavaidhavyād vṛthājanmāham īdṛśī mandabhāgyā samudbhūtā viphalā ca jagatpate

Translation

O Blessed Lord—widowed while still a child—my birth has become a futile thing. Thus have I arisen, ill-fated and fruitless, O Lord of the worlds.

Word by Word

• भगवन्: O Lord
• भगवन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• बालवैधव्यात्: from early widowhood
• बालवैधव्यात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Ablative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāla + vaidhavya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-भावः (‘बालं वैधव्यम्’)

• वृथाजन्मा: one whose birth is in vain
• वृथाजन्मा: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛthā + janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘वृथा जन्म यस्याः’)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ईदृशी: such (as I am)
• ईदृशी: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: īdṛśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनामसदृश-विशेषण

• मन्दभाग्या: ill-fated
• मन्दभाग्या: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: manda + bhāgya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘मन्दं भाग्यं यस्याः’)

• समुद्भूता: arisen, born
• समुद्भूता: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ud-bhū (धातु) → samudbhūta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विफला: fruitless
• विफला: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्/उपसर्ग-तत्पुरुषभावः

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• जगत्पते: O Lord of the world
• जगत्पते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘जगतः पतिः’)

Speaker

A grieving woman addressing Lord Vishnu (Jagatpati) in supplication within the narrative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The devotee’s self-disclosure of suffering and insufficiency before Jagatpati becomes a form of śaraṇāgati, inviting divine compassion.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Bring honest grief and perceived failure into prayer; practice surrender rather than self-condemnation.

Vishishtadvaita: The jīva’s dependence (paratantratā) on the Lord is foregrounded; God is addressed as Jagatpati, the sustaining master distinct from yet caring for the soul.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the significance of calling Vishnu 'Jagatpati' in the Vishnu Purana?

It emphasizes Vishnu as the sovereign Lord of all worlds—the ultimate refuge when worldly supports (family, status, life-stage duties) collapse.

How does the Vishnu Purana frame personal misfortune like early widowhood?

It is voiced as the lived result of fate/karma, yet the verse models turning that suffering into surrender—seeking meaning and deliverance through devotion to Vishnu.

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

Vishnu is addressed not merely as a deity among others, but as the Supreme Reality who can transform ‘fruitless’ existence into spiritual fulfillment through grace.