Shloka 28

The Manifestation of Viṣṇu’s Footprints: Vāmana–Trivikrama, Bāṣkali’s Subjugation, and the Rise of Viṣṇupadī

Gaṅgā

Devanagari script

यथाख्यातं मया दृष्टं जगत्तत्स्थमवेक्ष्य ताम् । निःस्वाध्यायवषट्कारं निवृत्तोत्सवमंगलम्

Transliteration

yathākhyātaṃ mayā dṛṣṭaṃ jagattatsthamavekṣya tām | niḥsvādhyāyavaṣaṭkāraṃ nivṛttotsavamaṃgalam

Translation

جیسا میں نے بیان کیا، میں نے اس جہان کو اسی حال میں دیکھا؛ اسے دیکھ کر پایا کہ وہاں ویدوں کا مطالعہ اور یَجْن کے وِشَٹکار نہیں رہے، اور تہوار و مبارک رسوم بھی موقوف ہو چکے تھے۔

Word by Word

• yathā: as; just as
• yathā: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/उपमानवाचक (as; according as)

• ākhyātam: told; declared
• ākhyātam: Kriya (Verbal predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + khyā (ख्या धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; अस्मद्-शब्द

• dṛṣṭam: seen
• dṛṣṭam: Kriya (Verbal predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (दृश् धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• jagat: the world
• jagat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• tat-stham: situated in that (state/place)
• tat-stham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + stha (स्थ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (तस्मिन् स्थितम्)

• avekṣya: having observed
• avekṣya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava + īkṣ (ईक्ष् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); अव्ययभाव (indeclinable gerund)

• tām: that (her/it)
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• niḥ-svādhyāya-vaṣaṭ-kāram: devoid of Vedic study and vaṣaṭ-calls
• niḥ-svādhyāya-vaṣaṭ-kāram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nis (उपसर्ग) + svādhyāya (प्रातिपदिक) + vaṣaṭ (अव्यय/निपात-प्रातिपदिक) + kāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समास (स्वाध्यायः च वषट्कारः च—तयोः अभावः/निषेधः)

• nivṛtta-utsava-maṅgalam: with festivals and auspicious rites ceased
• nivṛtta-utsava-maṅgalam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nivṛtta (नि+वृत्; क्त-प्रत्यय) + utsava (प्रातिपदिक) + maṅgala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (उत्सव-मङ्गले निवृत्तम्)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (context-dependent within Adhyaya 30)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: यथाख्यातम् = यथा + आख्यातम्; जगत्तत्स्थमवेक्ष्य = जगत् + तत्स्थम् + अवेक्ष्य; निःस्वाध्यायवषट्कारम् = निः + स्वाध्याय + वषट्कारम्; निवृत्तोत्सवमंगलम् = निवृत्त + उत्सव + मङ्गलम्.

FAQs

What is the central idea of this verse?

It depicts a world in decline—where svādhyāya (Vedic study) and yajña markers like the vaṣaṭ-call are absent, and social-religious auspicious observances (festivals and rites) have stopped.

What does “vaṣaṭkāra” indicate in Purāṇic context?

Vaṣaṭkāra refers to the ritual exclamation “vaṣaṭ” uttered during Vedic offerings, serving as a sign of active sacrificial practice; its absence implies the cessation of yajña-based dharma.

What ethical lesson can be drawn from this depiction?

The verse implies that when learning (svādhyāya), ritual responsibility, and auspicious communal practices fade, society’s dharmic order weakens—encouraging preservation of study, worship, and constructive traditions.