Shloka 57
आत्यन्तिक-लयहेतुः: तापत्रय-विवेचनम् तथा ‘भगवान्/वासुदेव’ शब्दार्थः
Threefold Suffering and the Path to Final Liberation; Meaning of Bhagavān and Vāsudeva
इति संसारदुःखार्कतापतापितचेतसाम् विमुक्तिपादपच्छायाम् ऋते कुत्र सुखं नृणाम्
iti saṃsāraduḥkhārkatāpatāpitacetasām vimuktipādapacchāyām ṛte kutra sukhaṃ nṛṇām
Thus, for those whose minds are scorched by the burning heat of saṃsāra—the sun of sorrow—where, indeed, can there be happiness for human beings, apart from the cool shade found at the feet of Liberation?
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Why worldly life cannot yield true happiness and where refuge lies
Teaching: Devotional
Quality: revealing
Concept: Minds burned by saṃsāra find no happiness except in the cooling refuge of liberation (vimukti).
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Treat daily practice as seeking shade: reduce heat of craving through japa, satsanga, and remembrance of the Lord’s feet.
Vishishtadvaita: Liberation is not mere negation but a positive state of refuge—classically expressed as taking shelter at the Lord’s feet.
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
It presents mokṣa as the only true shelter that cools the mind afflicted by saṃsāra’s suffering; without it, lasting human happiness is portrayed as impossible.
He depicts ordinary life as a cycle that burns the mind with sorrow, implying that worldly achievements cannot ultimately remove distress—only liberation can.
Though not named in the line, the Vishnu Purana’s framework treats liberation as attained under Vishnu’s supreme refuge—mokṣa is implicitly tied to the Lord as the final ground of peace.