Shloka 33

शरद्वर्णनं, योगोपमा, तथा गोवर्धन-यज्ञप्रवर्तनम्

Devanagari script

न द्वारबन्धावरणा न गृहक्षेत्रिणस् तथा सुखिनस् त्व् अखिले लोके यथा वै चक्रचारिणः

Transliteration

na dvārabandhāvaraṇā na gṛhakṣetriṇas tathā sukhinas tv akhile loke yathā vai cakracāriṇaḥ

Translation

Those shut in by barred doors and bolted gates are not truly at ease; nor are householders bound to house and field. In all the world, none are so untroubled and content as those who “move with the wheel”—the sovereigns whose royal cakra turns unobstructed.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• द्वारबन्धावरणाः: those having door-bolts and coverings (barriers)
• द्वारबन्धावरणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वार + बन्ध + आवरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समाहार/निर्देशार्थ बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (द्वारस्य बन्धः/आवरणम् इति), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘द्वारबन्ध-आवरण’ इत्यर्थे

• न: nor
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय

• गृहक्षेत्रिणः: house-and-field owners
• गृहक्षेत्रिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह + क्षेत्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (गृहं च क्षेत्रं च यस्य/यस्य क्षेत्रम् इति), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘क्षेत्रिन्’ = क्षेत्रस्वामी

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Adhikarana (Adverbial/अधिकरण-भाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: तुलनार्थ/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: thus, likewise)

• सुखिनः: happy
• सुखिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुखिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण/नामवत् (happy ones)

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• अखिले: entire, whole
• अखिले: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अखिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषण (लोके इत्यस्य)

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparator/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (as, just as)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/सम्भावनार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• चक्रचारिणः: those who move in circles; wanderers
• चक्रचारिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र + चारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (चक्रेण/चक्रवत् चरन्ति इति), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Why the cowherds turned from Indra’s worship and how Krishna reasoned with them.

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: didactic, persuasive

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Krishna articulates a social-ethical critique of constrained living to elevate the free-ranging, duty-aligned life of Vraja and prepare minds to reject Indra-centric fear worship.

Leela: Dharma-upadesa

Dharma Restored: Autonomous svadharma and contentment grounded in right livelihood rather than dependence on distant powers.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: True ease is not produced by possession and enclosure but by living in accordance with one’s dharma, free from anxious dependence.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Reduce fear-based striving; simplify life and align work, worship, and community duties to cultivate steadiness and contentment.

Vishishtadvaita: Contentment (śānti) is portrayed as dharma-aligned living within the Lord’s order, not as world-rejection—supporting immanent sacrality.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Sakhya

Characters & Entities

• Cakravartin (wheel-turning sovereigns)
• Householders (gṛhastha)
• Landholders (kṣetriṇaḥ)

FAQs

What is the significance of the “wheel-turning” (cakracāriṇaḥ) in the Vishnu Purana?

It signifies unobstructed sovereignty—rulers whose authority and movement are unhindered, symbolizing stable governance and the smooth turning of social order under dharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain true happiness in this verse?

He contrasts ordinary security (barred doors) and ordinary prosperity (house and fields) with the deeper ease that comes from unimpeded rule—freedom from fear and constraint through rightful power and protection.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purana frames kingship and order as upheld by Vishnu’s supreme governance—earthly sovereignty mirrors the divine sovereignty that sustains dharma and the world.