Shloka 2

शरद्वर्णनं, योगोपमा, तथा गोवर्धन-यज्ञप्रवर्तनम्

Devanagari script

अवापुस् तापम् अत्यर्थं शफर्यः पल्वलोदके पुत्रक्षेत्रादिसक्तेन ममत्वेन यथा गृही

Transliteration

avāpus tāpam atyarthaṃ śapharyaḥ palvalodake putrakṣetrādisaktena mamatvena yathā gṛhī

Translation

சிறு குளத்தின் ஆழமற்ற நீரில் மீன்கள் மிகுந்த துன்பத்தை அடைந்தன; அதுபோல் மகன், வயல் முதலியவற்றில் பற்றுடைய இல்லறத்தான் ‘என்’ எனும் மமத்தால் வேதனை அடைகிறான்।

Word by Word

अवापुःthey obtained / they came to

तापम्heat; suffering

अत्यर्थम्excessively; very much

शफर्यःfemale fish

पल्वल-उदकेin the pond-water

पुत्र-क्षेत्र-आदि-सक्तेनby attachment to son, field, etc.

ममत्वेनby possessiveness; by the sense of ‘mine’

यथाjust as

गृहीa householder

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

Parāśara

Maitreya

Householder (gṛhī)

FAQs

What is the significance of mamatva (the sense of ‘mine’) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents mamatva as a direct cause of torment: clinging to relationships and property traps one in suffering, like fish confined to a shallow pond.

How does Sage Parāśara explain attachment in this teaching to Maitreya?

Parāśara uses a vivid simile—fish suffering in a small pond—to show that attachment to ‘son, field, and the rest’ constricts the mind and produces distress.

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

By exposing possessiveness as bondage, the teaching implicitly points toward freedom through turning from ‘mine-ness’ to reliance on the Supreme Lord Vishnu as the true refuge beyond samsara.