Shloka 48

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

Devanagari script

तं तादृशम् असंस्कारं विप्राकृतिविचेष्टितम् क्षत्ता सौवीरराजस्य विष्टियोग्यम् अमन्यत

Transliteration

taṃ tādṛśam asaṃskāraṃ viprākṛtiviceṣṭitam kṣattā sauvīrarājasya viṣṭiyogyam amanyata

Translation

Seeing him in that condition—unrefined, untrained, and carrying the ill-disciplined airs of a brahmin—the attendant (kṣattā) of the king of Sauvīra deemed him fit only for forced menial service at court.

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचनम्

• तादृशम्: such (of that kind)
• तादृशम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तादृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• असंस्कारम्: uncultured; unrefined
• असंस्कारम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + संस्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; नञ्-समास/उपसर्गयुक्त विशेषणम् (uncultured/without refinement)

• विप्र-आकृति-विचेष्टितम्: behaving with a brahmin-like appearance
• विप्र-आकृति-विचेष्टितम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विप्र + आकृति + विचेष्टित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विचेष्टितम् (क्त, ‘behaved/acted’); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (विप्राकृत्या विचेष्टितम् = ‘acting with a brahmin-like appearance’)

• क्षत्ता: the chamberlain/attendant (kṣattā)
• क्षत्ता: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• सौवीर-राजस्य: of the king of Sauvīra
• सौवीर-राजस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौवीर + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सौवीरदेशस्य राजा)

• विष्टि-योग्यम्: fit for forced labour (viṣṭi)
• विष्टि-योग्यम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विष्टि + योग्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (विष्ट्यै योग्यः)

• अमन्यत: considered; thought
• अमन्यत: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How the court attendant misjudged the protagonist and assigned forced menial service

Teaching: Historical

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Social status and outer ‘refinement’ are unreliable measures of inner worth; coercive labor imposed through prejudice is adharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Avoid judging spirituality by appearance; practice dignity in work and resist dehumanizing systems where possible.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s grace may reside in the seemingly ‘unrefined’; the jīva’s spiritual value is intrinsic as a mode of Brahman, not a social label.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣattā (court attendant)
• King of Sauvīra

FAQs

What is the significance of viṣṭi (forced labor) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

The verse shows how royal authority could classify and compel labor based on perceived worth and conduct, highlighting the tension between outward status and actual discipline (saṁskāra).

How does Sage Parāśara frame the idea of saṁskāra versus mere appearance (viprākṛti)?

By contrasting “viprākṛti” (brahmin-like appearance) with “asaṁskāra” (lack of refinement), the narration emphasizes that dharmic standing is tied to inner cultivation and behavior, not externals.

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

Even when Vishnu is not explicitly named, the Purana’s dynastic episodes illustrate dharma under divine sovereignty—how order, consequence, and rightful conduct operate within the world sustained by Vishnu as the Supreme Reality.