Shloka 34

Devanagari script

अपापे तत्र पापैश् च पातिता दैत्ययाजकैः तान् एव सा जघानाशु कृत्या नाशं जगाम च

Transliteration

apāpe tatra pāpaiś ca pātitā daityayājakaiḥ tān eva sā jaghānāśu kṛtyā nāśaṃ jagāma ca

Translation

Though herself innocent, she was struck down there by the sinful rites of the Daitya-priests; yet she swiftly slew those very men—and the malign sorcery (kṛtyā) itself was destroyed.

Word by Word

• अपापे: in the sinless (one)
• अपापे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; नञ्-समास (पापरहिते) used substantively (in the sinless one/place)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)

• पापैः: by sins / with sinful acts
• पापैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• पातिता: was cast down / was made to fall
• पातिता: Kriya (Passive predicate/कर्मणि-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु) → पातित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; predicate participle of सा (kṛtyā)

• दैत्ययाजकैः: by the Daitya-sacrificers (priests)
• दैत्ययाजकैः: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य-याजक (प्रातिपदिक; components: दैत्य + याजक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दैत्यस्य याजकाः)

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन

• एव: indeed / just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• सा: she (the kṛtyā)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• जघान: struck / slew
• जघान: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• आशु: quickly
• आशु: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of manner/time)

• कृत्या: the kṛtyā (sorcery-entity)
• कृत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• नाशम्: destruction
• नाशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• जगाम: went / came to
• जगाम: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Reversal of hostile magic and the destruction of the persecutors

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sinful violence and manipulative rites rebound upon their agents, while the innocent is ultimately safeguarded.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Avoid harm-based spiritual practices and cultivate ethical means; trust that coercive power is unstable and self-defeating.

Vishishtadvaita: Īśvara’s governance ensures karmic moral order; divine protection operates through lawful retribution without diminishing Hari’s transcendence.

Prahlada Narrative

Phase: Divine-protection

Bhakti Quality: Confidence in divine justice; evil turns back upon itself in the presence of bhakti

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Characters & Entities

• Daityas
• Daitya-yājakas (demon-priests)
• Kṛtyā (sorcerous rite)

FAQs

What is the significance of kṛtyā (harmful sorcery) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse portrays kṛtyā as a destructive, adharma-driven rite that ultimately collapses upon itself—suggesting that such power is unstable and self-defeating when opposed to dharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the moral logic behind the Daitya-priests’ downfall?

By emphasizing the woman’s innocence (apāpe) and the priests’ sin (pāpaiḥ), the narration frames the outcome as retributive: the perpetrators are slain, and the very rite they wielded is extinguished.

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

Even without naming Vishnu directly, the verse reflects a core Vaishnava theme: the cosmos is governed by a higher sovereignty in which adharma-based powers cannot endure against the sustaining order associated with Vishnu.