Shloka 10

Devanagari script

सुकुमारतनुर् गर्भे जन्तुर् बहुमलावृते उल्बसंवेष्टितो भुग्नपृष्ठग्रीवास्थिसंहतिः

Transliteration

sukumāratanur garbhe jantur bahumalāvṛte ulbasaṃveṣṭito bhugnapṛṣṭhagrīvāsthisaṃhatiḥ

Translation

Within the womb, the living being—of tender, delicate body—lies in a place thickly covered with impurities, wrapped in the fetal membrane, its back and neck bent, its frame a cramped mass of bones.

Word by Word

• sukumāra-tanuḥ: (one) of very tender body
• sukumāra-tanuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + kumāra (प्रातिपदिक) + tanu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सुकुमारः तनुः यस्य/सुकुमारतनुः = ‘having a very tender body’)

• garbhe: in the womb
• garbhe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• jantuḥ: the creature/embryo
• jantuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jantu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• bahu-mala-āvṛte: in (a place) covered with much filth
• bahu-mala-āvṛte: Adhikarana (Locative qualifier/अधिकरण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + mala (प्रातिपदिक) + āvṛta (कृदन्त; √vṛ ‘to cover’ + kta)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (bahunā malena āvṛta = ‘covered with much impurity’); garbhe इत्यस्य विशेषण

• ulba-saṃveṣṭitaḥ: wrapped in the fetal membrane (ulba)
• ulba-saṃveṣṭitaḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ulba (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃveṣṭita (कृदन्त; √veṣṭ ‘to wrap’ + kta, with saṃ-)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (ulbenā saṃveṣṭita = ‘wrapped by the amnion/ulba’)

• bhugna-pṛṣṭha-grīvā-asthi-saṃhatiḥ: a compact mass of bones with bent back and neck
• bhugna-pṛṣṭha-grīvā-asthi-saṃhatiḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhugna (कृदन्त; √bhuj ‘to bend’ + kta) + pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + grīvā (प्रातिपदिक) + asthi (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃhati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (भुग्नं पृष्ठं ग्रīvā च, अस्थीनां संहतिः = ‘a compact mass of bones with bent back and neck’)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Concrete depiction of garbha-duḥkha (suffering in the womb) as a basis for vairāgya

Teaching: Philosophical

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Embodied existence begins in constrained, impure conditions in the womb, revealing the vulnerability and suffering inherent to saṃsāra.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Use this contemplation to loosen body-identification and to prioritize inner discipline, compassion, and liberation-seeking devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: The body is a dependent mode (prakāra) of the jīva within the Lord’s cosmic body; seeing its limitations turns one toward the Lord as the sole refuge and sustainer.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Jantu (embodied being)
• Garbha (womb)
• Ulba (fetal membrane)

FAQs

What is the significance of the womb-description in the Vishnu Purana?

It is meant to awaken detachment by showing how the jīva begins life in constraint and impurity, prompting the seeker to turn toward liberation and refuge in the Supreme (Vishnu).

How does Sage Parāśara explain the condition of the jīva before birth?

Parāśara portrays the jīva as confined in the womb—wrapped in membranes, bent and compressed—emphasizing vulnerability and the suffering inherent to embodied existence.

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

By highlighting the limits and pain of bodily life, the text implicitly directs the mind to Vishnu as the transcendent Lord and ultimate support, beyond the impurities and constraints of samsara.