Shloka 122

Devanagari script

प्रोक्तपर्वस्व् अशेषेषु नैव भूपाल संध्ययोः गच्छेद् व्यवायं मतिमान् न मूत्रोच्चारपीडितः

Transliteration

proktaparvasv aśeṣeṣu naiva bhūpāla saṃdhyayoḥ gacched vyavāyaṃ matimān na mūtroccārapīḍitaḥ

Translation

O King, at all the taught parva-junctions of time—especially at the two sandhyās (twilights)—a prudent man should not engage in sexual union, nor should he go out when pressed by the urge to pass urine or stool.

Word by Word

• prokta-parvasu: on the prescribed festival/holy days
• prokta-parvasu: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prokta (कृदन्त, √vac/वच् ‘to say’ + kta) + parvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; ‘prokta’ इति विशेषणपूर्वकं ‘parvasu’ (locative plural)

• aśeṣeṣu: in all, without remainder
• aśeṣeṣu: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (prokta-parvasu इत्यस्य)

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (particle of negation)

• eva: indeed/at all
• eva: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• bhūpāla: O king
• bhūpāla: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūpāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• saṃdhyayoḥ: of the two twilight times (dawn and dusk)
• saṃdhyayoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃdhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), द्विवचन

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष? (न), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd/मध्यम), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• vyavāyam: to sexual intercourse
• vyavāyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyavāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• matimān: a wise man
• matimān: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: matimat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृविशेषणम् (implicit ‘saḥ’)

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• mūtra-uccāra-pīḍitaḥ: one afflicted by the urge to urinate/defecate
• mūtra-uccāra-pīḍitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mūtra (प्रातिपदिक) + uccāra (प्रातिपदिक) + pīḍita (कृदन्त, √pīḍ/पीड् + kta)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘mūtra-uccāra’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (urination/defecation) + ‘pīḍitaḥ’ (afflicted)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Rules of proper conduct (ācāra) concerning bodily urges and sexual restraint at sandhyā and other prescribed time-junctions (parvan).

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: At liminal sacred times such as the sandhyās, one should preserve ritual purity by restraining sexual activity and not acting under the compulsion of eliminative urges.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Keep daily ‘transition’ times (dawn/dusk) for prayer, hygiene, and calm, avoiding impulsive actions driven by bodily pressure.

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma as service to Bhagavān: bodily discipline supports sattva and readiness for worship of the indwelling Lord.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• King (Bhūpāla)

FAQs

What is the significance of sandhyā (dawn and dusk) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse treats sandhyā as a sacred temporal junction where one should preserve purity and restraint, avoiding sensual acts that disturb ritual and mental discipline.

How does Sage Parāśara explain self-control in daily life?

By linking conduct to specific times (parvan and sandhyā) and bodily discipline, Parāśara frames dharma as practical regulation of impulses to protect clarity and ritual order.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named, the teaching supports a Vishnu-centered cosmic order: personal discipline at sacred times aligns the individual with dharma, understood in the Purana as upheld by the Supreme Lord.