Shloka 11

अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः

Devanagari script

तद् अतीव महापुण्यं सर्वपातकनाशनम् विष्णुक्रीडान्वितं स्थानं दृष्ट्वा पापात् प्रमुच्यते

Transliteration

tad atīva mahāpuṇyaṃ sarvapātakanāśanam viṣṇukrīḍānvitaṃ sthānaṃ dṛṣṭvā pāpāt pramucyate

Translation

That place is exceedingly holy, the destroyer of every sin; filled with the divine sports of Lord Viṣṇu—by merely beholding it one is freed from the stain of wrongdoing.

Word by Word

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (here: prathama with implied ‘स्थानम्’)

• atīva: exceedingly
• atīva: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atīva (अव्यय)
• Form: अतिशयार्थक-अव्यय (intensifier: ‘very/exceedingly’)

• mahā-puṇyam: very meritorious
• mahā-puṇyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (‘महत् पुण्यम्’)

• sarva-pātaka-nāśanam: destroyer of all sins
• sarva-pātaka-nāśanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pātaka (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘सर्वेषां पातकानां नाशनम्’)

• viṣṇu-krīḍā-anvitam: endowed with Vishnu’s play
• viṣṇu-krīḍā-anvitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + krīḍā (प्रातिपदिक) + anvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषभावः (‘विष्णोः क्रीडया अन्वितम्’ = endowed with Vishnu’s sport)

• sthānam: place; sacred spot
• sthānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (object of dṛṣṭvā)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya (Non-finite/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): ‘having seen’

• pāpāt: from sin
• pāpāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन (ablative: ‘from sin’)

• pramucyate: is freed
• pramucyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√muc (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद, कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense): ‘is released’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in discourse to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The sanctifying power (puṇya) of Viṣṇu-associated places and the efficacy of darśana.

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: compassionate

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Contact with Viṣṇu through darśana of a līlā-saturated holy place destroys sin and loosens bondage.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Undertake pilgrimage or mindful remembrance (smaraṇa) of sacred sites as a discipline of purification and devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: Liberation is mediated by Bhagavān’s grace accessed through real relations (sambandha) with His sacred loci, not by abstraction alone.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)

Bhakti Type: Shanta (peaceful)

Lakshmi Presence: Sri (fortune)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the significance of darśana (beholding) of a sacred place in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse teaches that mere darśana of a place infused with Viṣṇu’s līlā carries extraordinary puṇya and can cleanse one of sin, emphasizing sanctity transmitted through divine presence.

How does Sage Parāśara explain purification in this context?

Parāśara frames purification as the fruit of contact with Viṣṇu’s holiness—here through seeing a Viṣṇu-associated tīrtha—showing that grace and sacred geography work together within dharmic practice.

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

Viṣṇu is presented as the supreme sanctifier: where His līlā abides, the place becomes a power that dissolves pāpa, reflecting core Vaishnava theology that liberation and purity ultimately depend on the Lord.