Shloka 34

प्रह्लादस्य विष्णुमयता, विष्णोः दर्शनं, वरदानं, तथा चरितश्रवण-फलम्

Devanagari script

क्षीणाधिकारः स यदा पुण्यपापविवर्जितः तदासौ भगवद्ध्यानात् परं निर्वाणम् आप्तवान्

Transliteration

kṣīṇādhikāraḥ sa yadā puṇyapāpavivarjitaḥ tadāsau bhagavaddhyānāt paraṃ nirvāṇam āptavān

Translation

When his karmic entitlement to further embodied experience had been exhausted, and he stood free from both merit and demerit, then—through steadfast meditation on the Blessed Lord—he attained the supreme Nirvāṇa.

Word by Word

• क्षीणाधिकारः: whose authority had waned / with diminished power
• क्षीणाधिकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षीण + अधिकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (क्षीणः अधिकारः यस्य/क्षीणाधिकारः)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kriya-vishesana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (when)

• पुण्यपापविवर्जितः: free from merit and sin
• पुण्यपापविवर्जितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य + पाप + वि + वर्जित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (पुण्यपापयोः) द्वन्द्व-समास + उपपद-तत्पुरुष/कृदन्त-विशेषण (विवर्जितः = रहितः)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-vishesana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• असौ: that one, he
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• भगवद्ध्यानात्: from meditation on the Lord
• भगवद्ध्यानात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् + ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (भगवतः ध्यानम्)

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• निर्वाणम्: nirvana, liberation
• निर्वाणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्वाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आप्तवान्: attained
• आप्तवान्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्तवत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When karmic momentum is exhausted and one transcends merit and demerit, steadfast meditation on Bhagavān yields supreme nirvāṇa (final release).

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Cultivate regular meditation on the Lord, reduce karmic entanglements through ethical living, and loosen attachment to ‘good’ and ‘bad’ results.

Vishishtadvaita: Liberation is attained through Bhagavad-anusandhāna (God-centered contemplation), aligning with the Lord as the ultimate ground and goal.

Prahlada Narrative

Phase: Triumph

Bhakti Quality: Steady contemplation (bhagavaddhyāna) culminating in release beyond merit/demerit.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu (Bhagavān)

FAQs

What is the significance of being free from both merit (puṇya) and demerit (pāpa) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames liberation as transcendence of karmic dualities—when one is no longer bound by either merit or sin, rebirth-producing causes are spent, enabling final release through God-centered contemplation.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of meditation (dhyāna) in attaining liberation?

Parāśara presents bhagavad-dhyāna as the decisive means: when karmic claims are exhausted, sustained meditation on Bhagavān culminates in the highest nirvāṇa—release grounded in the Lord as the ultimate refuge.

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

Vishnu is implied as the Supreme Reality (Bhagavān) whose contemplation grants the final state; liberation is not merely cessation, but the highest fulfillment attained through absorption in the Lord.