Shloka 42

पौण्ड्रक-वधः, कृत्या-प्रशमनम्, वाराणसी-दाहः

Devanagari script

सभूभृद्भृत्यपौरां तु साश्वमातङ्गमानवाम् अशेषकोशकोष्ठां तां दुर्निरीक्ष्यां सुरैर् अपि

Transliteration

sabhūbhṛdbhṛtyapaurāṃ tu sāśvamātaṅgamānavām aśeṣakośakoṣṭhāṃ tāṃ durnirīkṣyāṃ surair api

Translation

That royal realm was filled with the king’s retainers and townsfolk, thronged with horses, elephants, and men; its treasuries and granaries were vast—so splendid that even the gods found it hard to behold.

Word by Word

• स-भूभृत्-भृत्य-पौराम्: together with kings, servants, and citizens
• स-भूभृत्-भृत्य-पौराम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय-उपसर्गार्थ ‘सहित’) + भूभृत् (प्रातिपदिक) + भृत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + पौर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः/समाहारः = ‘भूभृद्भिः (राजभिः) भृत्यैः पौरैश्च सहिताम्’ (together with kings, servants, citizens)

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) = particle; contrast/emphasis

• स-अश्व-मातङ्ग-मानवाम्: with horses, elephants, and men
• स-अश्व-मातङ्ग-मानवाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय) + अश्व (प्रातिपदिक) + मातङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः = ‘अश्वैः मातङ्गैः मानवैश्च सहिताम्’ (with horses, elephants, men)

• अशेष-कोश-कोष्ठाम्: having all treasuries and storehouses
• अशेष-कोश-कोष्ठाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशेष (प्रातिपदिक) + कोश (प्रातिपदिक) + कोष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः = ‘अशेषाः कोशाः (treasuries) कोष्ठानि (storehouses) यस्याः’ (having all treasuries and storehouses)

• ताम्: that (city)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दुर्निरीक्ष्याम्: hard to look at, dreadful to behold
• दुर्निरीक्ष्याम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + निरीक्ष्य (कृदन्त; √ईक्ष् (धातु) ‘to see’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘दुर्’ उपसर्गयुक्त-तव्यत्/य-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणार्थ कृदन्त; अर्थे ‘दुष्करं निरीक्षितुम्’ = hard to behold

• सुरैः: by the gods
• सुरैः: Karana/Agent (By whom/करण-कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन = instrumental plural

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) = particle; ‘even/also’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: descriptive

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even the most impregnable-seeming prosperity—population, armies, treasuries—remains fragile before time and dharma’s higher decree.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Cultivate non-attachment to status and wealth; invest in dharma and inner integrity rather than mere accumulation.

Vishishtadvaita: Worldly excellences are real yet dependent (paratantra) on the Lord’s governance; their contingency invites surrender rather than pride.

Characters & Entities

• King (bhūbhṛt)
• Citizens (paura)
• Retainers (bhṛtya)
• Devas (sura)

FAQs

What is the significance of describing a city as 'difficult to behold even for the gods' in the Vishnu Purana?

It is a Purāṇic way of conveying extraordinary sovereignty—wealth, security, and splendor so immense that it appears almost divine, emphasizing the king’s dharmic power and protected order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain kingship and prosperity in this dynastic context?

By highlighting the practical markers of stable rule—citizens and retainers in harmony, strong forces (horses and elephants), and overflowing treasuries and granaries—Parāśara frames prosperity as an outcome of orderly governance within the lineage narrative.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Vishnu Purana’s dynastic histories treat righteous sovereignty and abundance as operating under Vishnu’s cosmic order—kings prosper when their rule aligns with dharma upheld by the Supreme Reality.