Shloka 100

सूर्यरथ-कालचक्र-आयनविभागः, संध्योपासनम्, देवयान-पितृयानम्, विष्णुपद-गङ्गावतरणम्

Devanagari script

अपुण्यपुण्योपरमे क्षीणाशेषाप्तिहेतवः यत्र गत्वा न शोचन्ति तद् विष्णोः परमं पदम्

Transliteration

apuṇyapuṇyoparame kṣīṇāśeṣāptihetavaḥ yatra gatvā na śocanti tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṃ padam

Translation

That is the Supreme Station of Vishnu—beyond both merit and demerit—where every remaining cause that leads to further attainments is exhausted; having gone there, beings grieve no more.

Word by Word

• अपुण्य-पुण्य-उपरमे: when demerit and merit cease
• अपुण्य-पुण्य-उपरमे: Adhikarana (Condition/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ + पुण्य + पुण्य + उपरम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; समासः द्वन्द्वः (अपुण्यं च पुण्यं च) + उपरम (निवृत्तिः/समाप्तिः)

• क्षीण-अशेष-आप्ति-हेतवः: those whose causes of attaining any remainder have been exhausted
• क्षीण-अशेष-आप्ति-हेतवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षीण (क्षि धातु, क्त) + अशेष + आप्ति + हेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः—क्षीणाः अशेषाप्तिहेतवः येषाम् (बहुव्रीह्यर्थे विशेषणवत्)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक सम्बन्धबोधक (where)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): ‘having gone’

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• शोचन्ति: they grieve
• शोचन्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshya/Pointer (निर्देशक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• विष्णोः: of Vishnu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• पदम्: abode/footstep
• पदम्: Apposition/Predicate nominal (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Definition of Viṣṇu’s parama-pada as beyond puṇya/pāpa and the end of sorrow after reaching it

Teaching: Philosophical

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Viṣṇu’s supreme abode lies beyond the dualities of merit and demerit; reaching it exhausts the causal seeds of further becoming, ending grief.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Shift motivation from ‘earning merit’ to seeking God Himself through devotion, surrender, and steady practice that uproots desire-driven causality.

Vishishtadvaita: Mokṣa is a positive attainment of the Lord’s supreme ‘pada’ (abode/service) while transcending karma—central to qualified non-dual theism.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Lakshmi Presence: Sri

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the significance of being 'beyond puṇya and apuṇya' in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames moksha as a transcendence of karmic accounting itself—going beyond merit and demerit into Vishnu’s supreme state, where rebirth-producing conditions no longer operate.

How does Sage Parāśara explain liberation in this context?

Parāśara describes liberation as the exhaustion of all residual causes of further attainments (āpti-hetu)—meaning the end of karma’s momentum—so that one who reaches Vishnu’s highest abode does not return to sorrow.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Vishnu is presented as the final, supreme destination (paramaṃ padam), the transcendent reality in which the liberated abide free from grief—supporting a strongly Vaishnava view of ultimate refuge and fulfillment.