Shloka 88

Devanagari script

सा यदा धारणा तद्वद् अवस्थानवती ततः किरीटकेयूरमुखैर् भूषणै रहितं स्मरेत्

Transliteration

sā yadā dhāraṇā tadvad avasthānavatī tataḥ kirīṭakeyūramukhair bhūṣaṇai rahitaṃ smaret

Translation

When that dhāraṇā becomes steady and abiding, then one should remember Him as free from ornaments—without crown, armlets, and the like—resting in the pure, unadorned reality of the Supreme.

Word by Word

• सा: that (practice)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) = temporal indeclinable (when)

• धारणा: concentration (dhāraṇā)
• धारणा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धारणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तद्वत्: likewise
• तद्वत्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद्वत् (अव्यय/तुल्यवाचक)
• Form: अव्यय (तुल्यवाचक) = indeclinable meaning ‘likewise/in that manner’

• अवस्थानवती: steady/continuous
• अवस्थानवती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अवस्थान (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित प्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् — ‘अवस्थानं यस्याः सा’ (having steadiness/continuity)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रमवाचक) = thereafter

• किरीट-केयूर-मुखैः: with (ornaments) such as crown and armlets
• किरीट-केयूर-मुखैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किरीट (प्रातिपदिक) + केयूर (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग? (भूषण-समूह), तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; ‘किरीटैः केयूरैः मुखैः (आदिभिः)’ इति समाहारः; करण/हेतु (by/with ornaments such as crown, armlets etc.)

• भूषणैः: with ornaments
• भूषणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• रहितम्: devoid (of ornaments)
• रहितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रहित (कृदन्त; adjectival)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् — ‘भूषणैः रहितम्’ (devoid of ornaments)

• स्मरेत्: should remember/visualize
• स्मरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘should remember/visualize’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: As dhāraṇā stabilizes, meditation should further simplify the divine visualization by removing ornaments, letting awareness rest in unadorned Supreme reality.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: When concentration becomes stable, drop extra mental imagery (ornaments, embellishments) and remain with a bare, steady sense of presence.

Vishishtadvaita: The practice refines upāsanā from richly qualified form toward the Lord’s essential nature, without denying His reality as the personal Supreme.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the significance of meditating on Vishnu without ornaments in the Vishnu Purana?

It marks a refinement of contemplation: once concentration is stable, the mind moves from decorative, external features to Vishnu’s pure, essential reality as the Supreme.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the progression of dhāraṇā here?

He indicates a sequence: when dhāraṇā becomes firmly established (avasthānavatī), the meditator should adopt a subtler visualization—Vishnu free from crown, armlets, and similar adornments.

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

Vishnu is presented as the highest object of yoga—ultimate reality that transcends external attributes, while remaining the Supreme Lord worthy of continuous remembrance.