Shloka 29

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

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

Devanagari script

प्रकटीभूतसर्वास्थिर् नतपृष्ठास्थिसंहतिः उत्सन्नजठराग्नित्वाद् अल्पाहारो ऽल्पचेष्टितः

Transliteration

prakaṭībhūtasarvāsthir natapṛṣṭhāsthisaṃhatiḥ utsannajaṭharāgnitvād alpāhāro 'lpaceṣṭitaḥ

Translation

His whole frame became a stark display of bones; his back bent and the bony structure drew tight. With the digestive fire within diminished, he lived on scant food and moved with only the slightest effort.

Word by Word

• प्रकटीभूतसर्वास्थिः: whose bones are all visible
• प्रकटीभूतसर्वास्थिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रकटीभूत (कृदन्त) + सर्व + अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—कर्मधारय (प्रकटीभूतानि सर्वाणि अस्थीनि यस्य)

• नतपृष्ठास्थिसंहतिः: with a hunched back and a bony frame
• नतपृष्ठास्थिसंहतिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नत + पृष्ठ + अस्थि + संहति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (पुमान् इत्यादि विशेष्यस्य); समासः—तत्पुरुष (नतस्य पृष्ठस्य अस्थिसंहतिḥ)

• उत्सन्नजठराग्नित्वात्: due to the failing digestive fire
• उत्सन्नजठराग्नित्वात्: Apadana (Cause/Reason/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्सन्न + जठराग्नि + त्व (प्रातिपदिक); उत्सन्न (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धित (त्व); समासः—तत्पुरुष (उत्सन्नः जठराग्निः यस्य तत्-भावः)

• अल्पाहारः: eating little
• अल्पाहारः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—कर्मधारय (अल्पः आहारः यस्य)

• अल्पचेष्टितः: moving/acting little
• अल्पचेष्टितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प + चेष्टित (प्रातिपदिक); चेष्टित (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—कर्मधारय (अल्पं चेष्टितं यस्य)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The body reduced to bones and weakened digestive fire—physical decline as a spur to detachment

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When the body’s supports (strength, appetite, posture) collapse, worldly striving appears hollow and dispassion becomes natural.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice moderation and remembrance now; cultivate inner ‘agni’ through disciplined routine rather than chasing excess.

Vishishtadvaita: Embodiment is a contingent upādhi of the jīva; dharma and bhakti are to be pursued as service to the Lord, not for bodily enhancement.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

FAQs

What is the significance of bodily emaciation in the Vishnu Purana?

In this verse it functions as a narrative sign of extreme depletion—either from austerity or hardship—highlighting the impermanence of the body and the turn toward higher dharma beyond physical strength.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of jaṭharāgni (digestive fire) here?

Parāśara uses weakened jaṭharāgni to explain why the person eats very little and scarcely moves—physiological decline becomes a literary device to portray renunciation, suffering, or the aftermath of prolonged strain.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s Vaishnava framework reads such descriptions as reminders that embodied power fades, while the supreme refuge and sustaining order ultimately rest in Vishnu.