Shloka 49

Devanagari script

क्रमेणानेन जेष्यामो वयं पृथ्वीं ससागराम् इत्य् आसक्तधियो मृत्युं न पश्यन्त्य् अविदूरगम्

Transliteration

krameṇānena jeṣyāmo vayaṃ pṛthvīṃ sasāgarām ity āsaktadhiyo mṛtyuṃ na paśyanty avidūragam

Translation

“By this step-by-step course we shall conquer the earth with its oceans,” think those whose minds cling to ambition; absorbed in that craving, they do not see Death standing close at hand.

Word by Word

• क्रमेण: step by step
• क्रमेण: Karana (Manner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (instrumental of manner)

• अनेन: by this (method)
• अनेन: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• जेष्यामः: we shall conquer
• जेष्यामः: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जि (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• पृथ्वीम्: the earth
• पृथ्वीम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथ्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ससागराम्: with its oceans
• ससागराम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः/सह-समासः (ससागराम् = स-सागराम् ‘with the ocean(s)’) विशेषणम् (पृथ्वीम्)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्ति-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• आसक्तधियः: whose minds are attached
• आसक्तधियः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आसक्त + धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (आसक्ता धियः येषाम्) विशेषणम् (वयम्/जनाः)

• मृत्युम्: death
• मृत्युम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• पश्यन्ति: see
• पश्यन्ति: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्; धातु: दृश् (पश्य)

• अविदूरगम्: near at hand
• अविदूरगम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + विदूर + ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (अविदूरः गः/गतः = ‘not far-going/near’) विशेषणम् (मृत्युम्)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction/narration to Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ambition imagines gradual conquest of the whole world, yet fails to notice death already close.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Use memento-mori contemplation to reorder priorities toward dharma, service, and devotion rather than endless acquisition.

Vishishtadvaita: Finite power cannot secure the self; lasting security lies in taking refuge in the Lord, whose grace alone overcomes death’s dominion.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

FAQs

What is the significance of conquest and ambition in this Vishnu Purana verse?

The verse critiques the psychology of conquest: fixation on expanding power makes one ignore the most certain reality—death, which can arrive at any moment.

How does Sage Parāśara explain attachment (āsakti) in the narrative flow of the Purana?

Parāśara frames attachment as a veil over discernment: when the mind clings to plans of dominion and success, it loses sight of time’s inevitability and the need for dharma and detachment.

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

Implicitly, the verse points to a Vaishnava conclusion: worldly sovereignty is unstable under Kala, while true refuge and enduring order lie in aligning life with the Supreme Reality (Vishnu) rather than with transient conquest.