Shloka 33

यमस्य अधिकारभङ्गः — वैष्णवस्य लक्षणम्

Freedom from Yama through Hari-śaraṇāgati

Devanagari script

कमलनयन वासुदेव विष्णो धरणिधराच्युत शङ्खचक्रपाणे भव शरणम् इतीरयन्ति ये वै त्यज भट दूरतरेण तान् अपापान्

Transliteration

kamalanayana vāsudeva viṣṇo dharaṇidharācyuta śaṅkhacakrapāṇe bhava śaraṇam itīrayanti ye vai tyaja bhaṭa dūratareṇa tān apāpān

Translation

“O lotus-eyed Vasudeva—O Vishnu, bearer of the earth; O Acyuta, wielder of conch and discus—be my refuge!” Abandon those who utter this surrender, O warrior, and keep far away from those sinless ones.

Word by Word

• kamala-nayana: O lotus-eyed one
• kamala-nayana: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kamala (प्रातिपदिक) + nayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (कमलम् इव नयनं यस्य)

• vāsudeva: O Vāsudeva
• vāsudeva: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsudeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• viṣṇo: O Viṣṇu
• viṣṇo: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• dharaṇi-dhara: O bearer of the earth
• dharaṇi-dhara: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharaṇī (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (धरणीं धरः)

• acyuta: O Acyuta
• acyuta: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: acyuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• śaṅkha-cakra-pāṇe: O one whose hand holds conch and discus
• śaṅkha-cakra-pāṇe: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkha (प्रातिपदिक) + cakra (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (शङ्खचक्रे पाणौ यस्य)

• bhava: be
• bhava: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• śaraṇam: refuge
• śaraṇam: Karma (Complement/Object-like/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate complement)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणार्थक-अव्यय

• īrayanti: utter, proclaim
• īrayanti: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: īr (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ye: who (those who)
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis)

• tyaja: abandon, leave
• tyaja: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tyaj (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• bhaṭa: O soldier/servant (address)
• bhaṭa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• dūratareṇa: far away, at a great distance
• dūratareṇa: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dūratara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचन-रूपेण क्रियाविशेषणप्रयोगः (instrumental used adverbially): ‘by a farther distance’

• tān: those (people)
• tān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• apāpān: sinless
• apāpān: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (tān)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya; verse framed as an injunction to a 'bhaṭa'—a warrior/attendant, often read as a command to hostile forces or agents of harm)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Identifying the truly sinless: those who utter śaraṇāgati to Vāsudeva-Viṣṇu, and the injunction to keep away from harming such devotees

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: protective and exhortative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Those who call upon the lotus-eyed Vāsudeva-Viṣṇu as sole refuge are apāpa (sinless) by surrender, and one should refrain from enmity toward such surrendered souls.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Adopt daily śaraṇāgati in prayer (nāma and stuti) and cultivate aparādha-bhaya—careful avoidance of offense to devotees.

Vishishtadvaita: Śaraṇāgati/prapatti: refuge in the conch-and-discus-bearing Lord as a direct means, emphasizing His protective grace toward the surrendered (śeṣa) under the Supreme (śeṣi).

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Vasudeva

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Lakshmi Presence: Sri

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Vāsudeva
• Śaṅkha (conch)
• Cakra (discus)

FAQs

What is the significance of śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents refuge in Vāsudeva-Viṣṇu as a decisive spiritual protection: the one who sincerely calls Him “my refuge” is described as apāpa (untainted), beyond the reach of hostile forces.

How does Sage Parāśara explain protection through Vishnu’s names and attributes here?

By invoking specific epithets—Kamalanayana, Dharaṇīdhara, Acyuta, Śaṅkhacakrapāṇi—the verse ties devotion to Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty and protective power, implying that remembrance and surrender align one with divine order.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Vishnu is portrayed as the Supreme Refuge whose constancy (Acyuta) and cosmic authority (bearer of the earth; conch and discus) make Him the ultimate protector of devotees—central to Vaishnava devotion and the Purana’s vision of universal governance.