Shloka 53

भू-मण्डलसंक्षेपवर्णनम् — सप्तद्वीप-सप्तसमुद्राः, मेरु-मानम्, गङ्गावतरणम्, देववन-सरोवर-लोकपालपुर्यः

Devanagari script

स्वस्थाः प्रजा निरातङ्काः सर्वदुःखविवर्जिताः दश द्वादशवर्षाणां सहस्राणि स्थिरायुषः

Transliteration

svasthāḥ prajā nirātaṅkāḥ sarvaduḥkhavivarjitāḥ daśa dvādaśavarṣāṇāṃ sahasrāṇi sthirāyuṣaḥ

Translation

The people were well and whole—free from fear and calamity, untouched by any sorrow; and their lives were steady and enduring, lasting for ten or twelve thousand years.

Word by Word

• स्वस्थाः: healthy/at ease
• स्वस्थाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वस्थ (प्रातिपदिक; स्व + स्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (प्रजाः इति)

• प्रजाः: people/subjects
• प्रजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्

• निरातङ्काः: free from illness/disturbance
• निरातङ्काः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निरातङ्क (प्रातिपदिक; निर् + आतङ्क)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (प्रजाः)

• सर्वदुःखविवर्जिताः: devoid of all suffering
• सर्वदुःखविवर्जिताः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-दुःख-विवर्जित (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + दुःख + विवर्जित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्; तत्पुरुषः (सर्वैः दुःखैः विवर्जिताः)

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshana (Numeral qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दशन् (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयुक्तः संख्याशब्दः; (ten)

• द्वादशवर्षाणाम्: of twelve-year (periods)
• द्वादशवर्षाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादश-वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक; द्वादश + वर्ष)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (6th/Genitive), बहुवचनम्; द्विगु-समासः (द्वादश वर्षाणि)

• सहस्राणि: thousands
• सहस्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्

• स्थिरायुषः: having steady/long life
• स्थिरायुषः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थिर-आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक; स्थिर + आयुस्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (प्रजाः); कर्मधारयः (स्थिरम् आयुः येषाम्)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The prosperity, fearlessness, and longevity of beings in the non-Bhārata varṣas.

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: descriptive

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Varshas (regions)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Freedom from fear and sorrow, coupled with stable longevity, is portrayed as a fruit of harmonious cosmic conditions—implying that true well-being is the absence of inner disturbance.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Prioritize inner health: reduce fear and agitation through disciplined living, prayer, and ethical conduct, not merely by extending lifespan.

Vishishtadvaita: Well-being and longevity are read as divinely governed fruits within a real cosmos ordered by the Lord, encouraging gratitude and surrender (śaraṇāgati).

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta (peace)

Characters & Entities

• People (prajā)
• The ideal age/order (dharma-yukta condition)

FAQs

What is the significance of long human lifespan in the Vishnu Purana?

In this verse, extraordinary longevity signals a dharmically balanced world—where fear, disease, and social distress are absent, indicating harmony in the cosmic and civic order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the condition of society in an ideal age?

Parāśara describes society as healthy and free from calamity; the absence of suffering and the stability of lifespan function as narrative markers of a well-ordered age governed by dharma.

What is Lord Vishnu’s theological importance in this context?

Even when not named directly, the Purana frames such order as ultimately resting on Vishnu’s sustaining sovereignty—worldly well-being reflecting the preservation (sthiti) principle associated with him.