Shloka 20

स्वर्गगमनम्, अदितिस्तुतिः-मायातत्त्वम्, तथा पारिजात-प्रसङ्गे इन्द्रयुद्धम्

Devanagari script

कौपीनाच्छादनप्राया वाञ्छा कल्पद्रुमाद् अपि जायते यद् अपुण्यानां सो ऽपराधः स्वदोषजः

Transliteration

kaupīnācchādanaprāyā vāñchā kalpadrumād api jāyate yad apuṇyānāṃ so 'parādhaḥ svadoṣajaḥ

Translation

Even the bare wish for a simple loincloth—something one might obtain as from a wish‑fulfilling tree—arises only with difficulty in those without merit. That want is not fate imposed from elsewhere, but an offense born of one’s own defects.

Word by Word

• कौपीन: loincloth
• कौपीन: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौपीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रातिपदिक-रूपम् (समास-पूर्वपद); stem form in compound

• आच्छादन: covering (as a loincloth)
• आच्छादन: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ-छद् (धातु) → आच्छादन (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—कौपीनम् आच्छादनम् (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रातिपदिक-रूपम् (समास-पूर्वपद)

• प्राया: mostly limited to (mere) covering
• प्राया: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—कौपीन-आच्छादन-प्राया (बहुव्रीहि/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः; ‘mostly having only…’); स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; agrees with वाञ्छा

• वाञ्छा: desire
• वाञ्छा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाञ्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; Nominative singular

• कल्पद्रुमात्: from the wish-fulfilling tree
• कल्पद्रुमात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्पद्रुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—कल्पः द्रुमः (कर्मधारय; ‘wish-fulfilling tree’); पुंलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; Ablative singular

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चय-अव्ययम्; ‘even/also’

• जायते: arises/is born
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (वर्तमान), प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्; Present 3rd sg

• यत्: which/that
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; relative pronoun referring to the following clause

• अपुण्यानाम्: of the sinful/meritless (people)
• अपुण्यानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; Genitive plural

• सः: that (is)/he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; Nominative singular

• अपराधः: offense/fault
• अपराधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपराध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; Nominative singular

• स्व: one's own
• स्व: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रातिपदिक-रूपम् (समास-पूर्वपद); reflexive ‘own’ used in compound

• दोष: fault
• दोष: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रातिपदिक-रूपम् (समास-पूर्वपद)

• जः: born of one's own fault
• जः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज (प्रातिपदिक; ‘born from’)
• Form: समासः—स्वदोषात् जातः (पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; agrees with अपराधः

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even minimal needs may remain unmet due to lack of merit; such deprivation is traced to one’s own faults (svadoṣa), not an external imposition.

Vedantic Theme: Karma

Application: Replace victimhood with responsibility: cultivate puṇya through ethical living, generosity, and disciplined conduct while accepting outcomes with equanimity.

Vishishtadvaita: Karmic order operates under the Lord’s governance; individual agency and accountability (doṣa/puṇya) matter within divine sovereignty.

FAQs

What is the significance of the ‘loincloth’ example in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It dramatizes how severe demerit (apuṇya) can make even the smallest necessities feel unattainable, highlighting karmic scarcity rather than external injustice.

How does Sage Parāśara explain suffering here?

He frames deprivation as svadoṣaja—arising from one’s own faults—implying that ethical conduct and accumulated merit shape one’s lived circumstances.

What is the theological takeaway about divine sovereignty in this context?

The verse supports the Purāṇic view that the cosmos runs by dharma and karma under the Supreme Lord’s order, where outcomes are morally structured rather than random.