Shloka 40

अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः

Devanagari script

कच्चित् त्वं शूर्पवातस्य गोचरत्वं गतो ऽर्जुन दुष्टचक्षुर्हतो वापि निःश्रीकः कथम् अन्यथा

Transliteration

kaccit tvaṃ śūrpavātasya gocaratvaṃ gato 'rjuna duṣṭacakṣurhato vāpi niḥśrīkaḥ katham anyathā

Translation

“Arjuna—have you fallen within the sweep of the ‘winnowing-wind’? Or has some evil-eyed one struck you down? Otherwise, how could you appear so bereft of radiance and fortune?”

Word by Word

• kaccit: is it possible that…?; surely…?
• kaccit: Prashna (Interrogation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kaccit (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative particle)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• śūrpavātasya: of the whirlwind
• śūrpavātasya: Genitive relation (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūrpa-vāta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (शूर्प इव वातः) — ‘whirlwind-like wind’

• gocaratvam: the state of being in the range/reach
• gocaratvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go-cara-tva (go (प्रातिपदिक) + cara (प्रातिपदिक) + -tva (तद्धित))
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (गोचर + त्व) — ‘state of being within range’

• gataḥ: gone; come
• gataḥ: Kriya (Predicative action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि — ‘gone/come’

• arjuna: O Arjuna
• arjuna: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arjuna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• duṣṭa-cakṣuḥ-hataḥ: struck with bad eyesight; eye-afflicted
• duṣṭa-cakṣuḥ-hataḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + cakṣus (प्रातिपदिक) + hata (प्रातिपदिक; √han)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः — ‘(one) whose eyes are afflicted/struck by evil’

• vā: or
• vā: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (disjunctive particle ‘or’)

• api: even; also
• api: Emphasis (अवधारण/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (api = even/also)

• niḥśrīkaḥ: devoid of splendor; unfortunate
• niḥśrīkaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nis-śrīka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नञ्/निस्-समासार्थः — ‘devoid of splendor/fortune’

• katham: how
• katham: Prashna (Interrogation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• anyathā: otherwise
• anyathā: Manner/Alternative (प्रकार/अन्यथा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘otherwise’

Speaker

A concerned interlocutor addressing Arjuna within the dynasty narrative (as reported by Sage Parāśara to Maitreya).

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The closing of Kṛṣṇa’s earthly play and the signs of the age’s decline as Hari withdraws from the Pāṇḍavas.

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Worldly radiance and prosperity are unstable and depend upon Hari’s grace rather than mere human prowess.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Treat success as contingent; cultivate devotion and humility instead of entitlement to ‘fortune’.

Vishishtadvaita: Śrī (Lakṣmī/fortune) is inseparable from the Lord’s favor; when the Lord’s presence recedes, dependent beings lose their luster.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Lakshmi Presence: Sri

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Śrī (as splendour/fortune)

FAQs

What is the significance of Śrī (fortune/splendour) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

Śrī is treated as visible auspicious power—when it seems to depart, it signals inner or outer disorder, prompting inquiry into causes like adversity, curse, or unseen affliction.

How does the Vishnu Purana use omens like the ‘evil eye’ in royal narratives?

It uses such motifs to externalize crisis: a king/hero’s loss of radiance is read as a symptom of disrupted dharma, inviting the next narrative turn (cause, correction, restoration).

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

Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purana’s framework assumes sovereignty and fortune operate under Vishnu’s universal order—prosperity (Śrī) and its withdrawal reflect alignment or misalignment with that cosmic governance.