Shloka 35

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

Devanagari script

शुष्कैस् तृणैस् तथा पर्णैः स कुर्वन्न् आत्मपोषणम् मृगत्वहेतुभूतस्य कर्मणो निष्कृतिं ययौ

Transliteration

śuṣkais tṛṇais tathā parṇaiḥ sa kurvann ātmapoṣaṇam mṛgatvahetubhūtasya karmaṇo niṣkṛtiṃ yayau

Translation

Living only on dry grasses and fallen leaves, he sustained himself through severe austerity; thus he attained expiation for the deed whose fruit had been his becoming a deer.

Word by Word

• शुष्कैः: with dry
• शुष्कैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुष्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृणैः/पर्णैः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; तृतीया-विभक्तिः (करणे/सह), बहुवचनम् (Instrumental plural)

• तृणैः: with grasses
• तृणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम् (Instrumental plural)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Avyaya (Modifier/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; समुच्चय/उपमानार्थक क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb: likewise/also)

• पर्णैः: with leaves
• पर्णैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम् (Instrumental plural)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Pronoun: nominative singular)

• कुर्वन्: doing
• कुर्वन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (present active participle: doing)

• आत्मपोषणम्: nourishment of himself
• आत्मपोषणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + पोषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आत्मनः पोषणम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Accusative singular)

• मृगत्वहेतुभूतस्य: of that which had become the cause of (his) deerhood
• मृगत्वहेतुभूतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृगत्व (प्रातिपदिक) + हेतु (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: मृगत्वस्य हेतुर्भूतम् इति (तत्पुरुष); पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गे षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्मणः इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (Genitive singular)

• कर्मणः: of the act/deed
• कर्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Genitive singular)

• निष्कृतिम्: expiation
• निष्कृतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निष्कृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Accusative singular)

• ययौ: went/attained
• ययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Sacred geography and the associated exempla of conduct and karmic consequence (context of Bhārata-varṣa narrative)

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Atoning austerity and self-restraint can exhaust the karmic remainder that produced a degraded birth.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Adopt disciplined simplicity and conscious restraint to correct harmful habits and reduce karmic momentum.

Vishishtadvaita: Karmic law operates within Īśvara’s moral order; purification prepares the jīva for God-realization rather than negating the world’s reality.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

FAQs

What is the significance of niṣkṛti (expiation) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames niṣkṛti as a corrective discipline: by deliberate austerity and restraint, one neutralizes the karmic residue that produced suffering (here, the condition of becoming a deer).

How does Sage Parāśara explain karmic consequence and remedy here?

Parāśara presents a clear sequence—deed → consequence (mṛgatva) → remedial practice (tapas and simple living) → expiation—showing that ethical repair is possible through sustained self-discipline.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purana’s worldview assumes a Vishnu-governed moral order: karma operates within His sovereignty, and dharmic expiation is a means of returning to harmony under that supreme cosmic governance.