Shloka 18

आत्यन्तिक-लयहेतुः: तापत्रय-विवेचनम् तथा ‘भगवान्/वासुदेव’ शब्दार्थः

Threefold Suffering and the Path to Final Liberation; Meaning of Bhagavān and Vāsudeva

Devanagari script

कण्डूयने ऽपि चाशक्तः परिवर्ते ऽप्य् अनीश्वरः स्नानपानादिकाहारम् अवाप्नोति परेच्छया

Transliteration

kaṇḍūyane 'pi cāśaktaḥ parivarte 'py anīśvaraḥ snānapānādikāhāram avāpnoti parecchayā

Translation

Even to scratch an itch he is powerless; even to turn his body he lacks mastery. Bathing, drinking, and the rest—his very means of sustenance—he obtains only by the will of another. Thus the embodied soul, bound by condition, moves not as sovereign, but as dependent.

Word by Word

• कण्डूयने: in scratching (the itch)
• कण्डूयने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण्डूयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative, Singular

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अपि) — particle (even/also)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय — and

• अशक्तः: unable
• अशक्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-शक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; विशेषणम् (जातः/सः)

• परिवर्ते: in turning over/moving
• परिवर्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिवर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन — Masculine, Locative, Singular

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — even

• अनीश्वरः: powerless
• अनीश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; विशेषणम् (जातः/सः)

• स्नानपानादिकाहारम्: food such as bathing, drinking, etc. (i.e., necessities)
• स्नानपानादिकाहारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + पान (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular; समासः (स्नानं पानं च आदयः येषां तेषाम् आहारः) बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-प्रायः

• अवाप्नोति: obtains
• अवाप्नोति: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव्+आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present indicative, 3rd person singular

• परेच्छया: by another's will
• परेच्छया: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक) + इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/हेतु), एकवचन — Feminine, Instrumental, Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (परस्य इच्छा)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya in the broader instructional dialogue of the Vishnu Purana)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Demonstration of the jīva’s lack of sovereignty in embodied life and the consequent need for refuge in the Supreme.

Teaching: Philosophical

Quality: compassionate

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The embodied jīva is radically dependent (paratantra), even for basic acts, and thus true mastery lies in surrender to the Lord rather than bodily control.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice humility and śaraṇāgati: acknowledge dependence, receive care without ego, and anchor daily needs in prayerful remembrance.

Vishishtadvaita: Explicit paratantratā of the jīva aligns with Viśiṣṭādvaita’s śeṣa-śeṣi relation: the self exists for and under the Lord, not as autonomous īśvara.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: shanta

FAQs

What is the significance of human dependence in this verse of the Vishnu Purana?

It highlights the jīva’s lack of true autonomy in embodied life—even basic actions and necessities are contingent—pointing to samsāric limitation and the need to seek the Supreme.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the condition of the embodied soul here?

By stressing powerlessness in ordinary acts (scratching, turning, eating, bathing), he portrays the body-bound being as non-sovereign, moved by conditions and others’ agency rather than independent lordship.

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

By implication, true sovereignty belongs to Īśvara—Vishnu as the Supreme Reality—while the jīva’s dependence underscores the difference between the Lord’s freedom and the soul’s conditioned state.