Shloka 34

भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः

Devanagari script

जातिस्मरत्वाद् उद्विग्नः संसारात् स द्विजोत्तम विहाय मातरं भूयः सालग्रामम् उपाययौ

Transliteration

jātismaratvād udvignaḥ saṃsārāt sa dvijottama vihāya mātaraṃ bhūyaḥ sālagrāmam upāyayau

Translation

Troubled by the memory of his former births and wearied of the wheel of worldly existence, O best of the twice-born, he left even his mother behind and once again set out for Śālagrāma.

Word by Word

• जातिस्मरत्वात्: because of remembering former births
• जातिस्मरत्वात्: हेतु (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जातिस्मरत्व (प्रातिपदिक: जातिस्मर + त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचनम्; हेत्वर्थ (ablative of cause); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (जातिं स्मरति) + तद्धित (त्व)

• उद्विग्नः: distressed, agitated
• उद्विग्नः: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद्विग्न (प्रातिपदिक; √विज्/विज्-आङ्? past participial adjective)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• संसारात्: from worldly existence
• संसारात्: अपादान (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचनम्; अपादानार्थ (ablative: from)

• सः: he
• सः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• द्विजोत्तम: O best of twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विजोत्तम: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजोत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (द्विजानाम् उत्तमः)

• विहाय: having abandoned
• विहाय: पूर्वकालक्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-हा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः

• मातरम्: mother
• मातरम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2), एकवचनम्

• भूयः: again, further
• भूयः: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; पुनरर्थक (again/further)

• सालग्रामम्: Śālagrāma (place)
• सालग्रामम्: कर्म (Goal as object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सालग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2), एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (शाल-ग्रामः / शालानां ग्रामः; स्थापनाम्)

• उपाययौ: went to, approached
• उपाययौ: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Past-life memory can ripen into dispassion, driving the soul to abandon even natural bonds and seek Viṣṇu through sacred pilgrimage and worship.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Convert painful self-knowledge into steady practice: simplify life, prioritize daily worship, and seek environments that support remembrance of God.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord is approachable through concrete sacred media (śālagrāma), affirming Viṣṇu’s immanence and grace within the world while remaining transcendent.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Dvijottama (a brāhmaṇa)
• Mother (mātā)
• Śālagrāma

FAQs

What is the significance of Śālagrāma in the Vishnu Purana?

In this verse, Śālagrāma functions as a sacred refuge tied to Viṣṇu’s presence—so powerful that the protagonist abandons worldly attachments to return there for spiritual resolution.

How does Sage Parāśara explain renunciation arising from jātismaratva (memory of past births)?

Parāśara portrays past-life memory as producing direct disgust for repetitive worldly suffering, naturally leading to vairāgya and a decisive movement toward a Vaiṣṇava holy center.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Though Viṣṇu is not named explicitly in the line, the return to Śālagrāma implies seeking the Supreme Lord as the stable reality beyond saṃsāra, emphasizing devotion as a liberating orientation.