Shloka 79

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

Devanagari script

धर्माधर्मौ न संदेहः सर्वकार्येषु कारणम् उपभोगनिमित्तं च देहीदेशान्तरागमः

Transliteration

dharmādharmau na saṃdehaḥ sarvakāryeṣu kāraṇam upabhoganimittaṃ ca dehīdeśāntarāgamaḥ

Translation

There is no doubt that dharma and adharma are the causes behind all actions and their results; and for the sake of experiencing the fruits of karma, the embodied soul journeys from one place to another, entering different conditions and realms.

Word by Word

• धर्माधर्मौ: dharma and adharma
• धर्माधर्मौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अधर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः

• न: no/not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• संदेहः: doubt
• संदेहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संदेह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सर्वकार्येषु: in all actions/results
• सर्वकार्येषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (सर्वाणि कार्याणि)

• कारणम्: cause
• कारणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उपभोगनिमित्तम्: cause for experience/enjoyment
• उपभोगनिमित्तम्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपभोग (प्रातिपदिक) + निमित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (उपभोगस्य निमित्तम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• देहीदेशान्तरागमः: the embodied being's coming to another place (migration)
• देहीदेशान्तरागमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देही (प्रातिपदिक) + देशान्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + आगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देहिनः देशान्तर-आगमः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: All effects trace to dharma and adharma, and the embodied self moves through different places and states to experience karmic results.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Live deliberately: align conduct with dharma, practice repentance and self-discipline, and cultivate devotion so that ‘travel’ becomes a journey toward liberation rather than mere wandering.

Vishishtadvaita: Affirms real jīva-transmigration and moral causality while implying the Lord’s governance of gati and phala—supporting a world that is real, ordered, and pervaded by Brahman.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Jiva (embodied soul)
• Dharma
• Adharma
• Karma (implicit)

FAQs

What is the significance of dharma and adharma in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse states that dharma and adharma are the decisive causes behind all outcomes, establishing moral law as the engine of lived experience and destiny.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the jīva’s movement from place to place?

Parāśara explains that the embodied soul travels to different places/conditions specifically to undergo (upabhoga) the results of its accumulated karma.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching fits the Purana’s Vaishnava framework: the cosmos operates under a sovereign moral order where karmic fruits are inevitably experienced, ultimately guiding the jīva toward liberation in relation to the Supreme Reality.