Shloka 56

प्रह्लादचरितम् (हिरण्यकशिपोः स्वर्गापहरणं, प्रह्लादस्य विष्णुभक्तिः, उपदेशः)

Devanagari script

जन्म बाल्यं ततः सर्वो जन्तुः प्राप्नोति यौवनम् अव्याहतैव भवति ततो ऽनुदिवसं जरा

Transliteration

janma bālyaṃ tataḥ sarvo jantuḥ prāpnoti yauvanam avyāhataiva bhavati tato 'nudivasaṃ jarā

Translation

From birth arises childhood; then every living being attains youth. For a while it seems unharmed, yet from that very point onward, day by day, old age steadily advances.

Word by Word

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; abstract noun (birth)

• बाल्यम्: childhood
• बाल्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; state/age (childhood)

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) = 'thereafter/then'

• सर्वः: every
• सर्वः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• जन्तुः: living being
• जन्तुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• प्राप्नोति: attains
• प्राप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• यौवनम्: youth
• यौवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यौवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• अव्याहता: unhindered
• अव्याहता: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्तृपूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-व्याहत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; predicate adjective

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) = emphasis

• भवति: becomes/is
• भवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) = 'then/thereafter'

• अनुदिवसम्: day by day
• अनुदिवसम्: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनु-दिवस (अव्ययीभाव-समास; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्ययीभावसमास (anu + divasa) = 'day by day' (adverb)

• जरा: old age
• जरा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in discourse to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Vairāgya through seeing the inevitability of aging and the perishability of embodied life

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: All embodied beings inevitably pass from birth to youth and then steadily into old age, so worldly stability is only an appearance.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Contemplate daily impermanence to reduce attachment and prioritize sādhana over fleeting pleasures.

Vishishtadvaita: Embodied states are transient modes of the jīva; lasting refuge is sought in the Lord who remains constant beyond bodily change.

FAQs

What is the significance of aging (jarā) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames aging as an unavoidable, daily progression that follows even the apparent strength of youth, urging reflection on impermanence and the need for spiritual orientation beyond the body.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the human condition through life stages?

Parāśara presents a simple sequence—birth, childhood, youth—showing that even when youth seems “unharmed,” time continues its work, so embodied life is inherently subject to change.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Though not named in the verse, the Vishnu Purana’s framework treats time and transformation as operating under Vishnu’s supreme order, encouraging devotion and discernment toward the eternal Reality beyond decay.