Shloka 4

Devanagari script

प्रियव्रतस्य नैवोक्ता भवता द्विज संततिः ताम् अहं श्रोतुम् इच्छामि प्रसन्नो वक्तुम् अर्हसि

Transliteration

priyavratasya naivoktā bhavatā dvija saṃtatiḥ tām ahaṃ śrotum icchāmi prasanno vaktum arhasi

Translation

O revered brahmin, you have not yet described the progeny of Priyavrata. I wish to hear of that lineage—be gracious, and relate it with a pleased mind.

Word by Word

• प्रियव्रतस्य: of Priyavrata
• प्रियव्रतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रियव्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-निपात (negation particle)

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• उक्ता: has been told
• उक्ता: Kriya (Predicate-part/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त/Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘उक्त’ = said/told; here agreeing with ‘संततिः’

• भवता: by you (sir)
• भवता: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; आदरार्थे ‘भवत्’

• द्विज: O twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• संततिः: lineage; progeny
• संततिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संतति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• श्रोतुम्: to hear
• श्रोतुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्यय (infinitive/तुमन्त), अव्ययभाव

• इच्छामि: I wish
• इच्छामि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रसन्नः: gracious; pleased
• प्रसन्नः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रसन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying implied ‘भवान्’)

• वक्तुम्: to speak; to tell
• वक्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्यय (infinitive/तुमन्त), अव्ययभाव

• अर्हसि: you ought; you are fit
• अर्हसि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Maitreya

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Maitreya

Topic: Request for Priyavrata’s lineage to be narrated

Teaching: Genealogical

Quality: compassionate

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Approaching the teacher with humility and a clear request is itself a dhārmic mode of learning and preserves the integrity of sacred history.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate vinaya in study: acknowledge what is known, identify what is missing, and request instruction respectfully and persistently.

Vishishtadvaita: Knowledge is received by grace through proper sambandha with the teacher; humility aligns the seeker to receive śāstra that reveals the Lord’s governance through dynasties.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Dharma Exemplar: Priyavrata—kingship aligned with dharma (rājarṣi ideal)

Key Kings: Priyavrata

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Priyavrata
• Brahmin sage (Parasara)

FAQs

What is the significance of Priyavrata’s lineage in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse signals a shift into genealogical narration: Priyavrata’s descendants anchor the Purana’s account of righteous kingship and help situate later events within the broader ordering of ages and dynasties.

How does Sage Parasara explain royal genealogies to Maitreya?

Maitreya requests details, and Parasara responds by narrating lineages as part of a continuous sacred history—linking rulers, dharma, and the unfolding of cosmic and temporal cycles.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when the verse focuses on human lineage, the Purana’s framework treats sovereignty and succession as operating under Vishnu’s supreme governance, with dynastic order reflecting the maintenance of dharma in the world.