Shloka 21

दुर्वासाशापः, क्षीरसागरमन्थनम्, श्रीः (लक्ष्मी) उद्भवः तथा श्रीस्तुतिः

Devanagari script

गौतमादिभिर् अन्यैस् त्वं गर्वम् आपादितो मुधा अक्षान्तिसारसर्वस्वं दुर्वाससम् अवेहि माम्

Transliteration

gautamādibhir anyais tvaṃ garvam āpādito mudhā akṣāntisārasarvasvaṃ durvāsasam avehi mām

Translation

Misled by Gautama and other sages, you have swelled with empty pride. Know me as Durvāsas—whose very essence is fierce intolerance, whose only wealth is unendurable wrath.

Word by Word

• gautamādibhiḥ: by Gautama and others
• gautamādibhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; बहुवचन (Masculine instrumental plural); -आदि-समास (gautama-ādi = Gautama and others)

• anyaiḥ: by other (sages)
• anyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया; बहुवचन (Masculine instrumental plural); विशेषण

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; एकवचन; प्रथमा (Nominative singular)

• garvam: pride
• garvam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (Masculine accusative singular)

• āpāditaḥ: was brought/was made to attain
• āpāditaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-विशेष)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√pad (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन (Masculine nom sg); कर्मणि-भाव (passive sense)

• mudhā: vainly
• mudhā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mudhā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• akṣānti-sāra-sarvasvam: one whose very essence and all is intolerance
• akṣānti-sāra-sarvasvam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-kṣānti (प्रातिपदिक) + sāra (प्रातिपदिक) + sarvasva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (Neuter accusative singular); बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (determinative: whose essence is intolerance, whose all is that)

• durvāsasam: Durvāsas
• durvāsasam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durvāsas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (Masculine accusative singular)

• avehi: know/recognize
• avehi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: av-√i (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार; मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Imperative, 2nd sg, active)

• mām: me
• mām: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; एकवचन; द्वितीया (Accusative singular)

Speaker

Sage Durvāsas (addressing a king in the royal-lineage narrative of Ansha 4)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How Indra’s pride, inflated by other sages’ praise, leads to conflict with Durvāsas

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: admonitory

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Worldly status and even divine rulership become hollow when inflated by praise; unchecked ego provokes downfall.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Treat compliments as tests, cultivate kṣamā (forbearance) and accountability, and seek correction rather than validation.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s governance operates through dharma; arrogance disrupts one’s alignment with the divine order sustained by Him.

Characters & Entities

• Durvāsas
• Gautama
• Sages (ṛṣis)

FAQs

What is the significance of pride (garva) in the Vishnu Purana’s dynasty narratives?

This verse frames pride as a delusion cultivated by bad counsel; it becomes the immediate cause for a rishi’s punitive response, showing that kingship must remain humble and dharmic to align with cosmic order.

How does the text portray sage Durvāsas in this context?

Durvāsas self-identifies as the embodiment of akṣānti (unforbearance), emphasizing the feared potency of ascetics whose anger functions as a narrative instrument of moral correction.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s worldview assumes that dharma and rightful sovereignty operate under Vishnu’s supreme governance; violations like arrogance trigger corrective consequences that restore order.