Shloka 11

उपसंहारः, वैष्णवपुराण-प्रशंसा, फलश्रुति, परम्परा-प्रवहः (पाठ-श्रवण-फलम्)

Devanagari script

यद् अस्य कथनायासैर् योजितो ऽसि मया गुरो तत् क्षम्यतां विशेषो ऽस्ति न सतां पुत्रशिष्ययोः

Transliteration

yad asya kathanāyāsair yojito 'si mayā guro tat kṣamyatāṃ viśeṣo 'sti na satāṃ putraśiṣyayoḥ

Translation

O Guru, if I have pressed you into the strain of explaining all this with my repeated requests, may that be forgiven. For among the noble there is no sense of ‘difference’—not between father and son, nor between teacher and disciple.

Word by Word

• yat: since; that
• yat: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; यत् (because/that) — causal/relative particle introducing clause

• asya: of this; in this matter
• asya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• kathana-āyāsaiḥ: by the exertions of narration/explanation
• kathana-āyāsaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathana + āyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी: कथनस्य आयासाः), पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; means/instrument

• yojitaḥ: have been engaged; have been put to (trouble)
• yojitaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yojita (√yuj धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावे 'have been made to engage/put to'

• asi: you are
• asi: Kriya (Auxiliary/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• guro: O teacher
• guro: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; refers to preceding clause

• kṣamyatām: may it be forgiven
• kṣamyatām: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṣam (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; passive/benedictive sense: 'let it be forgiven'

• viśeṣaḥ: distinction; exception
• viśeṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• asti: there is
• asti: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• satām: of the good (people)
• satām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (√as धातु; प्रातिपदिक 'सत्')
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• putra-śiṣyayoḥ: of (between) son and disciple
• putra-śiṣyayoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra + śiṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: द्वन्द्व (इतरेतर), पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), द्विवचन; 'of son and disciple'

Speaker

Maitreya (addressing Sage Parāśara)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Maitreya

Topic: Apology for burdening the guru with repeated explanations; affirmation of non-difference in noble teacher-disciple and father-son relations

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: compassionate

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: In noble relationships, instruction is given with familial compassion; the disciple’s humility and the guru’s forbearance embody dharma and support spiritual maturation.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Approach teachers with reverence and accountability; when receiving guidance, cultivate humility and gratitude rather than entitlement.

Vishishtadvaita: Models śeṣa-śeṣi-bhāva (dependent self to gracious Lord/teacher): the disciple’s surrender mirrors the jīva’s reliance on divine compassion.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Maitreya
• Sage Parāśara
• Guru-disciple tradition

FAQs

What is the significance of the guru–disciple relationship in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse highlights that sacred knowledge is transmitted through reverent inquiry, where the disciple seeks forgiveness for imposing on the teacher, and the wise see no harsh separateness between teacher and disciple.

How does Sage Parāśara’s teaching context get established in this chapter?

Maitreya frames the discourse with humility, acknowledging the effort required to narrate profound topics—setting the tone for Parāśara’s authoritative exposition of Vishnu-centered cosmology and dharma.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in this specific verse, it prepares the devotional-intellectual ground for receiving Vishnu as the Supreme Reality, approached through disciplined listening and respectful tradition.