Shloka 42

मानवसर्गः, चातुर्वर्ण्य-गुणकर्म, यज्ञ-प्रतिपादनम्, आश्रमधर्म-फल, नरकवर्णनम्

Devanagari script

विनिन्दकानां वेदस्य यज्ञव्यासेधकारिणाम् स्थानम् एतत् समाख्यातं स्वधर्मत्यागिनश् च ये

Transliteration

vinindakānāṃ vedasya yajñavyāsedhakāriṇām sthānam etat samākhyātaṃ svadharmatyāginaś ca ye

Translation

This realm is declared to be the appointed station for those who revile the Veda, who obstruct the spread and performance of sacrifice, and who abandon the duties of their own dharma.

Word by Word

• विनिन्दकानाम्: of the revilers
• विनिन्दकानाम्: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि+निन्दक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; कर्तृवाचक-प्रातिपदिक (agent noun)

• वेदस्य: of the Veda
• वेदस्य: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• यज्ञव्यासेधकारिणाम्: of those who obstruct sacrifices
• यज्ञव्यासेधकारिणाम्: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ + व्यासेध + कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासः: यज्ञ-व्य-आसेध-कारिणाम् (those who cause obstruction to sacrifices)

• स्थानम्: place
• स्थानम्: Karma/Padārtha (Object/thing described)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम; विशेषण (demonstrative)

• समाख्यातम्: is declared / has been described
• समाख्यातम्: Kriya (Predicate/Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+आ+ख्या (धातु)
• Form: कर्मणि-भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; धातु: ख्या (to tell) उपसर्ग: सम्+आ

• स्वधर्मत्यागिनः: those who abandon their own dharma
• स्वधर्मत्यागिनः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वधर्म + त्यागिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः: स्व-धर्म-त्यागिनः (those who abandon their own duty)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Who attains the stated naraka-station: revilers of Veda, obstructers of yajña, and abandoners of svadharma

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: warning, authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Reviling the Veda, obstructing sacrifice, and abandoning one’s proper duties lead to a specific naraka destination as karmic consequence.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Respect sacred learning and communal rites, support constructive religious practice, and fulfill one’s responsibilities with integrity while cultivating devotion and compassion.

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma and yajña function as modes of serving the Supreme; violating them disrupts the Lord’s ordained order and yields binding karmaphala.

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Yajña (sacrifice)
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the significance of obstructing yajña in the Vishnu Purana?

In this verse, disrupting sacrifice is treated as a direct assault on dharma and the Vedic order that sustains society and cosmic harmony, leading to a condemned post-mortem destination.

How does Sage Parāśara explain svadharma here?

Parāśara frames svadharma as one’s rightful, sustaining duty; abandoning it is not praised as renunciation but condemned as moral dereliction with karmic consequences.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the moral architecture—Veda, yajña, and svadharma—functions as the divine order upheld under Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty, where actions inevitably bear fruit.