Shloka 61

Devanagari script

कालेन गच्छता राजा ममारासौ सपत्नजित् अन्वारुरोह तं देवी चितास्थं भूपतिं पतिम्

Transliteration

kālena gacchatā rājā mamārāsau sapatnajit anvāruroha taṃ devī citāsthaṃ bhūpatiṃ patim

Translation

As time moved onward, King Sapatnajit died. And the queen, faithful to her lord, ascended the funeral pyre with her husband, the sovereign, as he lay upon it.

Word by Word

• कालेन: with time / in course of time
• कालेन: Sahakari (Instrument/साधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• गच्छता: as (time) was passing
• गच्छता: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present participle); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कालेन)

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ममार: died
• ममार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• असौ: that (same)
• असौ: Visheshya (Apposition/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम; राज्ञः विशेषणवत्

• सपत्नजित्: conqueror of rivals
• सपत्नजित्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-पत्न-जित् (प्रातिपदिक; घटकौ: सपत्न + जित्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (सपत्नान् जयति इति); विशेषणम् (राजा)

• अन्वारुरोह: mounted/followed onto
• अन्वारुरोह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-आ-रुह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• देवी: the queen
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• चितास्थम्: lying on the funeral pyre
• चितास्थम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चिता-स्थ (प्रातिपदिक; घटकौ: चिता + स्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (चितायां स्थितः); विशेषणम् (भूपतिम्/पतिम्/तम्)

• भूपतिम्: the king (lord of the earth)
• भूपतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू-पति (प्रातिपदिक; घटकौ: भू + पति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः

• पतिम्: husband
• पतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूपतिम् इत्यस्य अपि विशेषण/अपपद-सम्बन्धः

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Time (kāla) is irresistible; human bonds face impermanence, calling for dharmic resolve and remembrance of the higher good.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Contemplate impermanence to prioritize virtue, devotion, and responsible relationships; let grief mature into steadiness rather than despair.

Vishishtadvaita: Kāla operates under the Lord’s sovereignty; recognizing this supports surrender (śaraṇāgati) amid loss.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Dharma Exemplar: Pati-vratā (marital fidelity)

Key Kings: Sapatnajit

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Sapatnajit
• Queen (Devī)
• Kings

FAQs

What is the significance of Kāla (Time) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

The verse frames the king’s death as the natural, inevitable working of kāla, underscoring that temporal power is transient within the cosmic order upheld by Vishnu.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the flow of royal history here?

Parāśara continues the genealogy by marking a ruler’s death and the queen’s act, using such transitions to move the lineage forward and keep the dynastic sequence intact.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purāṇa’s historiography implies that kingship and its end occur under the higher sovereignty of Vishnu as the ground of cosmic law and time.