Shloka 114

Devanagari script

नास्नातां तु स्त्रियं गच्छेन् नातुरां न रजस्वलाम् नानिष्टां न प्रकुपितां नाप्रशस्तां न गर्भिणीम्

Transliteration

nāsnātāṃ tu striyaṃ gacchen nāturāṃ na rajasvalām nāniṣṭāṃ na prakupitāṃ nāpraśastāṃ na garbhiṇīm

Translation

One should not approach a woman who has not bathed; nor one who is ill, nor one who is in her monthly course; nor one who is unwilling, nor one who is angered; nor one deemed improper, nor one who is pregnant.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात (negative particle)

• अस्नाताम्: unbathed
• अस्नाताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्नात (कृदन्त; √स्ना धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; नञ्-पूर्वक भूतकृदन्त (PPP) विशेषणम् (feminine accusative singular; ‘not bathed’)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/contrast)

• स्त्रियम्: a woman
• स्त्रियम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (feminine accusative singular)

• गच्छेत्: should approach/go to
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद (should go/approach)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात (negative particle)

• आतुराम्: sick
• आतुराम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आतुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (feminine accusative singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात (negative particle)

• रजस्वलाम्: menstruating
• रजस्वलाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रजस्वला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (feminine accusative singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात (negative particle)

• अनिष्टाम्: unwilling/disliked
• अनिष्टाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनिष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (feminine accusative singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात (negative particle)

• प्रकुपिताम्: angry
• प्रकुपिताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रकुपित (कृदन्त; √कुप् धातु + प्र)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (PPP) विशेषणम् (feminine accusative singular; ‘enraged’)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात (negative particle)

• अप्रशस्ताम्: improper, not recommended
• अप्रशस्ताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अप्रशस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; नञ्-पूर्वक विशेषणम् (feminine accusative singular; ‘not approved/unsuitable’)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात (negative particle)

• गर्भिणीम्: pregnant
• गर्भिणीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गर्भिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (feminine accusative singular)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Householder restraint: conditions under which one should not seek intercourse

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sexual conduct is bounded by śauca (cleanliness), health, consent, and appropriateness; violating these limits is adharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Prioritize consent, wellbeing, and mutual readiness; avoid intimacy during illness or when either partner is unwilling or unwell.

Vishishtadvaita: Ethical restraint honors the divine indwelling presence in embodied beings by refusing to treat persons as mere instruments of desire.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

FAQs

What is the significance of purity and restraint in this Vishnu Purana verse?

The verse frames intimate approach as governed by dharma—physical cleanliness, health, and propriety—so personal conduct supports social and ritual order aligned with Vishnu’s sustaining power.

How does Sage Parāśara explain proper household conduct in this context?

Parāśara lists specific prohibitions as practical ācāra for the householder, emphasizing self-control, appropriateness, and avoiding harm or impropriety in domestic life.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching reflects Vaishnava dharma: living in harmony with the cosmic order upheld by Vishnu, where ethical discipline becomes a form of reverence to the Supreme Sustainer.