Shloka 31

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

Devanagari script

यज् ज्येष्ठशुक्लद्वादश्यां स्नात्वा वै यमुनाजले मथुरायां हरिं दृष्ट्वा प्राप्नोति परमां गतिम्

Transliteration

yaj jyeṣṭhaśukladvādaśyāṃ snātvā vai yamunājale mathurāyāṃ hariṃ dṛṣṭvā prāpnoti paramāṃ gatim

Translation

Whoever, on the bright Dvādaśī of the month of Jyeṣṭha, bathes in the waters of the Yamunā and then beholds Hari in Mathurā, attains the supreme destination—the highest liberation in the Lord.

Word by Word

• yat: that which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम

• jyeṣṭhaśukladvādaśyām: on the bright twelfth (dvādaśī) of Jyeṣṭha
• jyeṣṭhaśukladvādaśyām: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jyeṣṭha+śukla+dvādaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; काल-अधिकरण (locative of time)

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha/Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• yamunājale: in the waters of the Yamunā
• yamunājale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yamunā+jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• mathurāyām: in Mathurā
• mathurāyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mathurā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• harim: Hari (Vishnu)
• harim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; कर्म

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया

• prāpnoti: attains
• prāpnoti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘प्र’ उपसर्गयुक्त

• paramām: supreme
• paramām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (गतिम् इत्यस्य)

• gatim: state, destination
• gatim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; कर्म

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Merit of specific Vaiṣṇava vrata/tīrtha: Jyeṣṭha-śukla Dvādaśī bath in Yamunā and Hari-darśana at Mathurā

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: revealing

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Kṛṣṇa descends to protect dharma by delighting devotees, removing burdensome adharma, and re-establishing divine-centered devotion in the world.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Pilgrimage-and-darśana centered bhakti leading to paramā gati (supreme end).

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: On an auspicious Dvādaśī, purification (snāna) joined with Hari-darśana in Mathurā conduces to the supreme goal, emphasizing grace accessed through embodied devotional acts.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Observe Dvādaśī with purity and devotion (fasting/regulated diet), bathe or perform symbolic snāna, and seek Hari-darśana through temple worship and attentive prayer.

Vishishtadvaita: Liberation is attained by the Lord’s prasāda through concrete devotional means (darśana, vrata), not by abstract negation alone—bhakti as a grace-bearing upāya.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Yamuna
• Mathura
• Hari (Vishnu/Krishna)

FAQs

What is the significance of bathing in the Yamuna on Jyeṣṭha śukla Dvādaśī in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents it as an especially potent tirtha-observance: bathing in the Yamunā on that lunar day, followed by Hari’s darśana in Mathurā, is said to lead to the highest spiritual end.

How does Sage Parāśara frame liberation (paramā gati) in this passage?

Liberation is linked to a combined act of purity and devotion—ritual bathing (snāna) and direct devotional encounter (darśana) with Hari—implying grace-mediated attainment rather than mere ritualism.

What is the theological importance of Hari in this context?

Hari is portrayed as the sovereign bestower of the ‘supreme destination’; seeing Him in the sacred locus of Mathurā becomes a direct channel to moksha, aligning with Vaishnava emphasis on the Lord as the ultimate refuge and end.