Shloka 6

Devanagari script

कर्मणा मनसा वाचा परपीडां करोति यः तद् बीजं जन्म फलति प्रभूतं तस्य चाशुभम्

Transliteration

karmaṇā manasā vācā parapīḍāṃ karoti yaḥ tad bījaṃ janma phalati prabhūtaṃ tasya cāśubham

Translation

Кто причиняет страдание другому — делом, мыслью или словом, — тот сеет семя, которое через рождения созревает для него обильным горьким плодом; и эта жатва поистине неблагая.

Word by Word

• कर्मणा: by action/deed
• कर्मणा: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• मनसा: by mind
• मनसा: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• वाचा: by speech
• वाचा: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• पर-पीडाम्: harm to others
• पर-पीडाम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर + पीडा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (परस्य पीडा)

• करोति: does/inflicts
• करोति: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshya/Pratipādya (That)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• बीजम्: seed
• बीजम्: Karta (Subject; seed)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Adhikarana (Context/occasion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (in birth/at birth)

• फलति: bears fruit
• फलति: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: फल् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रभूतम्: abundant/great
• प्रभूतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (अशुभम्/फलम् implied)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• अशुभम्: evil (result)
• अशुभम्: Karma/Phala (Result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; फलरूपेण (as evil result)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Karmic causality of harming others through body, mind, and speech.

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Harm inflicted by action, thought, or speech plants karmic seeds that mature across births into abundant suffering.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Adopt threefold restraint (kāya-manas-vāk): pause before speaking, check harmful intentions, and practice non-violence in daily choices.

Vishishtadvaita: Karma’s moral order operates under the Lord’s governance; the jīva reaps results while remaining dependent on the Supreme as inner ruler and dispenser of fruits.

Prahlada Narrative

Phase: Teaching (Prahlada's schools)

Bhakti Quality: Ahiṃsā rooted in karmic insight; devotion expressed as non-harming in thought, word, and deed.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: shanta

FAQs

What is the significance of harming others (parapīḍā) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames harm—through body, mind, or speech—as a karmic “seed” that inevitably matures into suffering, often across multiple births, reinforcing dharma as an objective moral law.

How does Sage Parāśara explain karmic consequences in this teaching?

Parāśara presents karma as causal and cumulative: even subtle acts like hostile thoughts or cruel words generate results that ripen later as abundant inauspicious outcomes.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s framework treats this moral order as operating under Vishnu’s supreme governance—dharma and karmic fruition are expressions of the cosmic order sustained by the Supreme Reality.