Shloka 21

गोवर्धनोत्तरविस्मयः, रासलीलाप्रसङ्गः, तथा सर्वव्याप्तिवेदान्तोपदेशः

Devanagari script

तच्चिन्ताविपुलाह्लादक्षीणपुण्यचया तथा तदप्राप्तिमहादुःखविलीनाशेषपातका

Transliteration

taccintāvipulāhlādakṣīṇapuṇyacayā tathā tadaprāptimahāduḥkhavilīnāśeṣapātakā

Translation

Absorbed in contemplation of Him, one is flooded with expansive bliss and the accumulated store of merit is exhausted; and if that attainment is not reached, then through the great sorrow of that non-attainment, all remaining sins are dissolved away.

Word by Word

• तत्-चिन्ता-विपुल-आह्लाद-क्षीण-पुण्य-चया: she whose store of merit was diminished by the great joy of thinking of him
• तत्-चिन्ता-विपुल-आह्लाद-क्षीण-पुण्य-चया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् + चिन्ता + विपुल + आह्लाद + क्षीण + पुण्य + चय (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (यस्याः तच्चिन्तया विपुलाह्लादेन क्षीणः पुण्यचयः सा)

• तथा: and also, likewise
• तथा: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (also/likewise)

• तत्-अप्राप्ति-महा-दुःख-विलीन-अशेष-पातका: she whose remaining sins were dissolved by the great sorrow of not attaining him
• तत्-अप्राप्ति-महा-दुःख-विलीन-अशेष-पातका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् + अप्राप्ति + महा + दुःख + विलीन + अशेष + पातक (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (यस्याः तदप्राप्त्या महादुःखेन विलीनानि अशेषपातकानि सा)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: He grants purification through intense contemplation: bliss in remembrance and the burning away of pāpa through the pain of separation, directing souls toward final attainment.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Inner purity and God-centeredness as the means that dissolves sin and culminates in liberation/attainment.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Single-pointed contemplation yields ānanda and purifies: even the sorrow of not attaining Bhagavān consumes residual sin and turns the heart wholly Godward.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Transform spiritual frustration into deeper prayer and steadier practice rather than self-blame; let longing refine conduct and attention.

Vishishtadvaita: Grace-operating bhakti: purification is not merely self-effort; Bhagavān, as the supreme object of love, makes even viraha (separation) a means of sanctification and final union.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the significance of contemplation (cintā) of Vishnu in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents contemplation of Vishnu as a direct inner practice that generates profound bliss and purifies karmic residues, orienting the seeker toward liberation.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the transformation of karma here?

Parāśara indicates that deep God-centered contemplation can exhaust stored merit, and even the pain of not attaining Him can burn away remaining sins—showing purification through both devotion and longing.

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

Vishnu is treated as the supreme object of attainment; union with Him is the highest goal, and all karmic accounting (merit and sin) is subordinated to that final realization.