Shloka 41

नरक-निर्णयः, पाप-कर्म-फल-व्यवस्था, प्रायश्चित्त-क्रमः, तथा हरि-स्मरण-परमत्वम्

Devanagari script

प्रातर् निशि तथा संध्यामध्याह्नादिषु संस्मरन् नारायणम् अवाप्नोति सद्यः पापक्षयं नरः

Transliteration

prātar niśi tathā saṃdhyāmadhyāhnādiṣu saṃsmaran nārāyaṇam avāpnoti sadyaḥ pāpakṣayaṃ naraḥ

Translation

Whoever remembers Nārāyaṇa at dawn and at night, and again at twilight, midday, and the other junctions of time—such a person swiftly attains the destruction of sin and draws near to Nārāyaṇa Himself.

Word by Word

• प्रातर्: in the morning
• प्रातर्: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रातर् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — कालवाचक (adverb of time: “in the morning”)

• निशि: at night
• निशि: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular

• तथा: also, likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चय/प्रकार (adverb: “also, likewise”)

• संध्यामध्याह्नादिषु: at twilight, midday, and other (times)
• संध्यामध्याह्नादिषु: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संध्या + मध्याह्न + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक (समाहार-द्वन्द्वे नपुंसकप्राय), सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन — Locative plural; ‘आदि’समासान्त

• संस्मरन्: remembering
• संस्मरन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्मृ (धातु) → संस्मरन्त् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — “remembering”

• नारायणम्: Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• अवाप्नोति: attains
• अवाप्नोति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — “attains”

• सद्यः: immediately
• सद्यः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सद्यः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — क्षणवाचक (adverb: “immediately”)

• पापक्षयम्: destruction of sin
• पापक्षयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप + क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• नरः: a man, person
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How regular remembrance of Nārāyaṇa at daily time-junctions destroys sin swiftly

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: practical

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Remembering Nārāyaṇa at the day’s junctions (dawn, night, twilight, midday, etc.) quickly destroys sin and draws the devotee near to Him.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Anchor short moments of nārāyaṇa-smṛti/japa at predictable daily transitions (waking, meals, sunset, bedtime) to build steady devotion and ethical clarity.

Vishishtadvaita: Nearness to Nārāyaṇa through steady remembrance reflects the personal, grace-mediated relationship between jīva and the Lord central to Viśiṣṭādvaita bhakti.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Narayana

FAQs

What is the significance of remembering Nārāyaṇa at dawn, dusk, and other times in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents time-based remembrance (smaraṇa) as a simple but powerful discipline: aligning the mind with Nārāyaṇa at key daily junctions leads to rapid purification (pāpa-kṣaya).

How does Sage Parāśara explain purification from sin in this context?

Parāśara emphasizes inner recollection rather than complexity: repeated remembrance of the Supreme Lord through the day is portrayed as immediately effective in dissolving accumulated wrongdoing.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Nārāyaṇa is treated as the supreme refuge and reality—approached not merely by ritual, but by sustained devotion and mindful remembrance that transforms the practitioner.