Shloka 88

Devanagari script

ज्वराक्षिरोगातीसारप्लीहगुल्मादिकैस् तथा द्वेषेर्ष्यामत्सराद्यैर् वा रागलोभादिभिः क्षयम्

Transliteration

jvarākṣirogātīsāraplīhagulmādikais tathā dveṣerṣyāmatsarādyair vā rāgalobhādibhiḥ kṣayam

Translation

Through fevers, diseases of the eyes, dysentery, disorders of the spleen, abdominal tumors and the like—and likewise through hatred, jealousy, envy and related vices, or through attachment and greed—one is brought to wasting away and decline.

Word by Word

• jvara-akṣi-roga-atīsāra-plīha-gulma-ādikaiḥ: by fevers, eye-diseases, ailments, dysentery, spleen-disorders, abdominal tumors, etc.
• jvara-akṣi-roga-atīsāra-plīha-gulma-ādikaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jvara (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣi (प्रातिपदिक) + roga (प्रातिपदिक) + atīsāra (प्रातिपदिक) + plīha (प्रातिपदिक) + gulma (प्रातिपदिक) + ādika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन (Instrumental plural); समाहार/सूची-प्रधान तत्पुरुष (enumerative compound with ādika)

• tathā: also/likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (also/likewise)

• dveṣa-īrṣyā-matsara-ādyaiḥ: by hatred, jealousy, envy, etc.
• dveṣa-īrṣyā-matsara-ādyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dveṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + īrṣyā (प्रातिपदिक) + matsara (प्रातिपदिक) + ādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन (Instrumental plural); सूची-प्रधान तत्पुरुष (enumerative with ādya)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (or)

• rāga-lobha-ādibhiḥ: by passion, greed, etc.
• rāga-lobha-ādibhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāga (प्रातिपदिक) + lobha (प्रातिपदिक) + ādika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन (Instrumental plural); सूची-प्रधान तत्पुरुष (enumerative with ādika)

• kṣayam: destruction/decay
• kṣayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन (Accusative singular)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How embodied beings decline through bodily diseases and mental vices

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: diagnostic

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Embodied life is worn down by physical ailments and by inner vices like hatred, jealousy, envy, attachment, and greed, leading to decline.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Treat passions as spiritual ‘diseases’: reduce them through disciplined habits, satsanga, and steady remembrance of the Lord.

Vishishtadvaita: Highlights the jīva’s dependence and vulnerability in prakṛti, motivating turning toward the Lord as the sustaining inner ruler and refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya

FAQs

What is the significance of linking disease with emotions like hatred and greed in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames physical ailments and inner vices together as causes of “kṣaya” (wasting), emphasizing that violating dharma through destructive mental states accelerates decline in embodied life.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the roots of human decline here?

Parāśara lists both bodily disorders (fever, eye disease, dysentery, spleen ailments, tumors) and mental impurities (hatred, jealousy, envy, attachment, greed) as contributing conditions that lead to deterioration.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named, the teaching assumes a Vishnu-governed moral cosmos: dharma aligns life with the Supreme order, while vice and imbalance bring suffering and decay within that sovereign framework.