Shloka 59

Devanagari script

गर्भवासादि यावत् तु पुनर्जन्मोपपादनम् समस्तावस्थकं तावद् दुःखम् एवावगम्यताम्

Transliteration

garbhavāsādi yāvat tu punarjanmopapādanam samastāvasthakaṃ tāvad duḥkham evāvagamyatām

Translation

From dwelling in the womb onward, up to the securing of yet another birth, know this for certain: in every condition and at every stage of embodied existence, suffering alone prevails.

Word by Word

• गर्भवासादि: (from) dwelling in the womb etc.
• गर्भवासादि: Adhikarana (Limit/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भवास + आदि (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; 'garbhavāsa etc.' (ādi = 'and the like')

• यावत्: up to/until
• यावत्: Adhikarana (Extent/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-निर्देशक (correlative) = 'as far as/until'

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अनुज्ञा (particle) = 'but/indeed'

• पुनर्जन्मोपपादनम्: the bringing about of rebirth
• पुनर्जन्मोपपादनम्: Adhikarana (Limit/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुनर्जन्म + उपपादन (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: पुनर्जन्मनः उपपादनम् = 'production/bringing about of rebirth'

• समस्तावस्थकम्: comprising all stages
• समस्तावस्थकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समस्त + अवस्थक (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: समस्ताः अवस्थाः यस्य = 'consisting of all states' (qualifying duḥkham)

• तावत्: to that extent
• तावत्: Adhikarana (Extent/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण-सूचक (correlative) = 'so much/that far'

• दुःखम्: suffering
• दुःखम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

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

• अवगम्यताम्: let it be understood
• अवगम्यताम्: Kriya (Injunctive action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (passive/impersonal), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; 'let it be understood'

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Showing saṃsāra-duḥkha from womb to repeated rebirth to instill vairāgya and mumukṣutva

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: compassionate but unsparing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: From gestation onward, every embodied condition culminates in suffering, and the cycle continues into further births.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Practice daily remembrance of saṃsāra’s limits and commit to disciplines that aim at liberation—ethical living, prayer, and steady devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: The recognition of pervasive duḥkha prepares surrender (prapatti) to the compassionate Lord as the only stable means beyond repeated embodiment.

FAQs

What is the significance of describing life as suffering from womb to rebirth in the Vishnu Purana?

It frames saṃsāra as uniformly marked by duḥkha, encouraging detachment (vairāgya) and a turn toward liberation rather than deeper entanglement in repeated births.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the cycle of rebirth (punarjanma) here?

He summarizes the entire arc of embodied existence—from gestation to the conditions that produce another birth—and states that every phase within that arc should be recognized as suffering.

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

By emphasizing the insufficiency of worldly states, the teaching implicitly points to Vishnu as the supreme reality and final refuge, the one to be sought for release from saṃsāra.