Shloka 17

अक्रूरस्य गोकुलगमनम्—दर्शन-लालसा, अंशावतार-बोधः, विष्णु-स्तुतिः

Devanagari script

स्मृते सकलकल्याणभाजनं यत्र जायते पुरुषस् तम् अजं नित्यं व्रजामि शरणं हरिम्

Transliteration

smṛte sakalakalyāṇabhājanaṃ yatra jāyate puruṣas tam ajaṃ nityaṃ vrajāmi śaraṇaṃ harim

Translation

အကြင်သူကို သတိရလျှင် လူသည် ကောင်းမြတ်မင်္ဂလာအပေါင်း၏ ခံယူရာပုံးဖြစ်လာသကဲ့သို့၊ မမွေးဖွားသော နိစ္စဟရီ—အမြင့်မြတ်ပုရုෂ—ထံသို့ ငါသည် အမြဲတမ်း ခိုလှုံ၏။

Word by Word

• स्मृते: when (he is) remembered
• स्मृते: Adhikarana (Condition/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle) ‘स्मृत’; सप्तमी एकवचन (Loc. sg.)—सप्तमी-सम्बन्धे (when remembered)

• सकलकल्याणभाजनम्: the receptacle of all auspiciousness
• सकलकल्याणभाजनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सकल (प्रातिपदिक) + कल्याण (प्रातिपदिक) + भाजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—सकलस्य कल्याणस्य भाजनम् (receptacle of all auspiciousness)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक (where)

• जायते: arises/is born
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्; आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन (3rd sg.)

• पुरुषः: a person
• पुरुषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन (Nom. sg.)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

• अजम्: unborn
• अजम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.); विशेषणम् (unborn)

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (always)

• व्रजामि: I go/seek
• व्रजामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्; परस्मैपद; उत्तमपुरुष; एकवचन (1st sg.)

• शरणम्: refuge
• शरणम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.); गत्यर्थे द्वितीया (as refuge)

• हरिम्: Hari (Vishnu)
• हरिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in discourse to Maitreya; devotional-theological affirmation within the narrative)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To receive the devotee’s surrender and grant auspiciousness through remembrance and refuge in Hari.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) and smaraṇa (remembrance) as the sure means to auspiciousness

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Remembrance of the unborn Supreme Person makes one fit for all auspicious good; therefore the devotee takes eternal refuge in Hari.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Adopt daily nāma-smaraṇa and śaraṇāgati—short, consistent remembrance practices that reorient choices toward the good.

Vishishtadvaita: A personal, eternally existent Lord (aja, nitya) is the object of refuge; grace flows through remembrance, not impersonal abstraction.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari (name)

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu (Hari)
• Purusha (the individual person)

FAQs

What is the significance of remembering Hari (smaraṇa) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse teaches that mere remembrance of Hari makes a person a “vessel” for all auspiciousness—implying inner purification, right orientation to dharma, and spiritual uplift through devotion.

How does Sage Parāśara explain taking refuge (śaraṇāgati) in this context?

Parāśara frames refuge as an ongoing, eternal act—“I go for refuge always”—directed to the unborn and timeless Lord, indicating dependence on Vishnu as the stable ground beyond changing worldly conditions.

What is the theological importance of calling Vishnu ‘aja’ (unborn) and ‘puruṣa’ (Supreme Person) here?

By naming Hari as unborn and the Supreme Person, the verse emphasizes Vishnu’s transcendence and ultimacy—aligning with Vaishnava philosophy where Vishnu is the highest reality and the sure refuge for all beings.