Shloka 4

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

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

Devanagari script

तथाक्षिरोगातीसारकुष्ठाङ्गामयसंज्ञकैः भिद्यते देहजस् तापो मानसं श्रोतुम् अर्हसि

Transliteration

tathākṣirogātīsārakuṣṭhāṅgāmayasaṃjñakaiḥ bhidyate dehajas tāpo mānasaṃ śrotum arhasi

Translation

Thus, bodily suffering is differentiated into those named as diseases of the eyes, dysentery, leprosy, and ailments of the limbs. Now you should hear about the suffering that is of the mind.

Word by Word

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Discourse connector (अन्वय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (connector/adverb: ‘likewise’)

• अक्षिरोगातीसारकुष्ठाङ्गामयसंज्ञकैः: by those termed eye-disease, dysentery, leprosy, limb-ailment, etc.
• अक्षिरोगातीसारकुष्ठाङ्गामयसंज्ञकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षिरोग (प्रातिपदिक; अक्षि + रोग) + अतीसार (प्रातिपदिक) + कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्गामय (प्रातिपदिक) + संज्ञक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; समासः—अक्षिरोगादि-अतीसारादि-कुष्ठादि-अङ्गामयादि-संज्ञकैः (called/known as eye-disease, dysentery, leprosy, limb-disease, etc.)

• भिद्यते: is differentiated
• भिद्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भिद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे (is differentiated)

• देहजः: bodily-born
• देहजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—देहात् जातः (born from the body)

• तापः: suffering/affliction
• तापः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ताप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मानसम्: mental (suffering)
• मानसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘तापम्’ (अध्याहृतम्) इति विशेषणम्

• श्रोतुम्: to hear
• श्रोतुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (Infinitive), ‘to hear’

• अर्हसि: you are fit/you should
• अर्हसि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Completion of bodily affliction list and transition to mental afflictions

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: structured instruction

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Bodily afflictions are manifold; having heard them, one should now examine mental suffering, which is subtler and more binding.

Vedantic Theme: Atman

Application: Track suffering’s locus: treat bodily issues practically, and address mental afflictions through ethical restraint, meditation, and devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: The pivot from body to mind supports the insight that the self is not reducible to bodily states; the mind’s purification prepares the jīva for God-centered realization.

FAQs

What is the significance of classifying suffering (tāpa) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse begins a structured explanation of human affliction by separating bodily torments (diseases) from mental torments, preparing the listener to understand suffering as a knowable, analyzable condition tied to karma and ignorance.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the difference between bodily and mental suffering here?

He first lists examples of bodily suffering—eye disease, dysentery, leprosy, and limb ailments—and then explicitly signals a shift to the next category: mānasa (mental) suffering.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇa’s framework treats understanding suffering and its causes as a step toward liberation—ultimately oriented to realizing the Supreme Lord as the refuge beyond both bodily and mental torment.