Shloka 64

Devanagari script

तां पिता दातुकामो ऽभूद् वराय विनिवारितः तयैव तन्व्या विरतो विवाहारम्भतो नृपः

Transliteration

tāṃ pitā dātukāmo 'bhūd varāya vinivāritaḥ tayaiva tanvyā virato vivāhārambhato nṛpaḥ

Translation

Her father wished to give her in marriage to the chosen bridegroom, yet he was restrained; and that slender maiden herself made the king desist, even as the wedding was about to begin.

Word by Word

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पिता: father
• पिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• दातुकामः: desiring to give (her in marriage)
• दातुकामः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दातु (तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त; दा धातु) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (दातुं कामः)

• अभूत्: became / was
• अभूत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वराय: to a bridegroom
• वराय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• विनिवारितः: restrained, prevented
• विनिवारितः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + नि + वृत् (धातु) → विनिवारित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• तया: by her
• तया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Emphasis particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• तन्व्या: by the slender maiden
• तन्व्या: Karana (Instrument/करण) / Agent in passive sense
• Type: Noun
• Root: तन्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेषणार्थे (slender one)

• विरतः: desisted, refrained
• विरतः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + रम् (धातु) → विरत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• विवाहारम्भतः: from the commencement of the marriage
• विवाहारम्भतः: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवाह (प्रातिपदिक) + आरम्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (विवाहस्य आरम्भः)

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

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How prior karma and inner resolve can override social arrangements like marriage

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: True agency (saṃkalpa) aligned with dharma and inner truth can restrain even imminent social rites when they conflict with deeper obligation shaped by past causes.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Before major life commitments, pause and examine conscience, long-term consequences, and prior responsibilities; let restraint prevent harm.

Vishishtadvaita: Moral agency operates under īśvara-niyati: the jīva chooses, yet outcomes unfold within the Lord’s ordered governance of karma.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Father (a king)
• The slender maiden (tanvī)
• Bridegroom/suitor (vara)
• Kings (nṛpa)

FAQs

What is the significance of restraint at the outset of a wedding in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse highlights dharmic restraint: even royal authority yields when circumstances (and the maiden’s own stance) prevent an improper or unwanted marriage from proceeding.

How does Sage Parāśara frame agency and consent in this episode?

Parāśara’s narration explicitly credits the maiden (tanvī) as the immediate cause for the king’s withdrawal, indicating that her position meaningfully redirects the event.

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

Within Ansha 4’s lineage histories, such turning points are presented as part of the larger dharmic order upheld under Vishnu’s sovereignty—events in royal houses unfold within a providential moral framework.