Shloka 48

The Greatness of the Jayantī Vow

Fast, Vigil, and Worship of Hari/Kṛṣṇa

Devanagari script

मेरुतुल्यानि पापानि ब्रह्महत्यादिकानि च । स निर्दहति सर्वाणि जयंत्यां समुपोषकः

Transliteration

merutulyāni pāpāni brahmahatyādikāni ca | sa nirdahati sarvāṇi jayaṃtyāṃ samupoṣakaḥ

Translation

മേരു പർവ്വതത്തോളം മഹത്തായ—ബ്രഹ്മഹത്യാദി—എല്ലാ പാപങ്ങളും ജയന്തിയിൽ വിധിപൂർവ്വം ഉപവാസം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ ദഹിപ്പിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• meru-tulyāni: equal to Meru (mountain-like)
• meru-tulyāni: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: meru (प्रातिपदिक) + tulya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa; Napumsaka, Prathamā (1st), Bahuvacana (plural); viśeṣaṇa of 'pāpāni'

• pāpāni: sins
• pāpāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā (1st), Bahuvacana

• brahma-hatyā-ādikāni: beginning with brahmin-slaying (brahmahatyā) etc.
• brahma-hatyā-ādikāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + hatyā (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (with ādi as suffix-like second member meaning 'etc.'); Napumsaka, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; viśeṣaṇa of 'pāpāni'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samucchaya particle (समुच्चय)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• nirdahati: burns up, consumes
• nirdahati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dah (धातु) with nis-/nir- prefix
• Form: Laṭ (present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• sarvāṇi: all
• sarvāṇi: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Bahuvacana; viśeṣaṇa of (understood) 'pāpāni' as object

• jayaṃtyām: on Jayanti
• jayaṃtyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jayaṃtī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Saptamī vibhakti (7th/सप्तमी), Ekavacana; kāla/viṣaya-saptamī (locative: 'on Jayanti')

• sam-upoṣakaḥ: one who duly fasts
• sam-upoṣakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sam + upoṣaka (प्रातिपदिक; agent noun from upa-vas)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; kartṛ-vācaka

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative voice within Padma Purāṇa, Brahma-khaṇḍa)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: mountain

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: brahmahatyādikāni = brahmahatyā + ādikāni.

Characters & Entities

• Meru
• Brahmahatyā
• Jayantī

FAQs

What practice is praised in this verse?

The verse praises samupoṣa—proper fasting (upavāsa)—performed on the sacred occasion called Jayantī.

What is the main theological claim of the verse?

That the merit of Jayantī-fasting is so powerful it can burn away even extremely grave sins, metaphorically described as “as vast as Mount Meru.”

What ethical lesson does the verse convey?

It emphasizes repentance and disciplined religious observance, presenting austerity (fasting) as a means of moral purification and inner reform.