Shloka 4

दुर्वासाशापः, क्षीरसागरमन्थनम्, श्रीः (लक्ष्मी) उद्भवः तथा श्रीस्तुतिः

Devanagari script

उन्मत्तव्रतधृग् विप्रः स दृष्ट्वा शोभनां स्रजम् तां ययाचे वरारोहां विद्याधरवधूं ततः

Transliteration

unmattavratadhṛg vipraḥ sa dṛṣṭvā śobhanāṃ srajam tāṃ yayāce varārohāṃ vidyādharavadhūṃ tataḥ

Translation

Then that brāhmaṇa, who had taken up a wild and unconventional vow, on seeing the splendid garland, asked for it from the graceful Vidyādhara maiden.

Word by Word

• उन्मत्त: mad/frenzied
• उन्मत्त: Qualifier (विशेषण-पूर्वपद)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उन्मत्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूपेण (समासपूर्वपद)

• व्रत: vow
• व्रत: Qualifier (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूपेण (समासमध्यपद)

• धृक्: one who holds/observes
• धृक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: क्विप्-प्रत्ययान्त (agent noun), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘धृक्’ = धारयिता

• विप्रः: brahmin
• विप्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; अप्पोजिशन (दुर्वासाः)

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

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव

• शोभनाम्: beautiful
• शोभनाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (स्रजम्)

• स्रजम्: garland
• स्रजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्रज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• ययाचे: begged/requested
• ययाचे: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: याच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• वरारोहाम्: the fair-hipped (lady)
• वरारोहाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर + आरोहा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (वरा आरोहा यस्या/या)

• विद्याधर: Vidyadhara
• विद्याधर: Qualifier (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्याधर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूपेण (समासपूर्वपद)

• वधूम्: bride/maiden
• वधूम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वधू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विद्याधराणां वधूः)

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Temporal (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: तस्मात्-प्रभवम् अव्ययम्; क्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (thereupon/then)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Durvāsā, of wild vow, asks the Vidyādhara maiden for the splendid garland—catalyst for the ensuing Śrī-linked consequences

Teaching: Historical

Quality: dramatic

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ascetic power without restraint can become volatile; desire and entitlement, even in a sage, can trigger consequential chains of events.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate self-restraint and humility alongside spiritual discipline; treat beauty and auspicious objects as sacred trusts rather than possessions.

Vishishtadvaita: Implied: the dynamics of ‘śrī’ (auspicious fortune) are not merely aesthetic but morally conditioned, aligning prosperity with dharma—an outlook congenial to Śrī’s role as divine grace within a personal theistic order.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmin (vipra)
• Vidyādhara maiden (vidyādhara-vadhū)

FAQs

What is the significance of desire and vows in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse shows how an unrestrained or abnormal vow, when paired with desire, becomes a narrative trigger for moral consequence—typical of the Purana’s dharma-centered historiography.

How does Sage Parāśara explain human conduct through such episodes?

Parāśara uses compact incidents—seeing an object, arising desire, and an impulsive request—to illustrate how inner dispositions shape outward events, which then ripple into larger lineage and historical outcomes.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in a given verse, the Vishnu Purana frames such episodes under Vishnu’s sovereign order (niyati): ethical causality and the maintenance of cosmic law ultimately rest in the Supreme Reality who upholds dharma.