Shloka 86

Devanagari script

आहारः फलमूलानि प्रजानाम् अभवत् तदा कृच्छ्रेण महता सो ऽपि प्रणष्टास्व् ओषधीषु वै

Transliteration

āhāraḥ phalamūlāni prajānām abhavat tadā kṛcchreṇa mahatā so 'pi praṇaṣṭāsv oṣadhīṣu vai

Translation

Bấy giờ lương thực của muôn loài chỉ còn trái và rễ; và khi cỏ thuốc cùng cây cỏ đã tiêu vong, ngay cả thứ ấy cũng chỉ kiếm được trong gian nan và dần cạn kiệt.

Word by Word

• आहारः: food, sustenance
• आहारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• फलमूलानि: fruits and roots
• फलमूलानि: Pratipādya (Predicate nominative/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल + मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (‘फलानि च मूलानि च’)

• प्रजानाम्: of the people
• प्रजानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• अभवत्: became, was
• अभवत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal adjunct/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक/time adverb)

• कृच्छ्रेण: with hardship, with difficulty
• कृच्छ्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृच्छ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental; ‘with difficulty’)

• महता: great, severe
• महता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषण of कृच्छ्रेण

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle; ‘also/even’)

• प्रणष्टासु: when (they) had perished
• प्रणष्टासु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + नश् (धातु) → प्रणष्ट (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; ‘having perished’

• ओषधीषु: in the herbs/plants
• ओषधीषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओषधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle; emphasis)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Historical

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When the sustaining herbs perish, even minimal subsistence becomes arduous—nature’s balance is integral to dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Treat environmental care and sustainable agriculture as moral duties supporting collective welfare.

Vishishtadvaita: Creation is the Lord’s body (śarīra); harm to its sustaining limbs (oṣadhi) disrupts the lived order for souls within it.

Characters & Entities

• Prajā (living beings/creatures)
• Oṣadhi (herbs/vegetation)

FAQs

What is the significance of fruits and roots as food in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It signals a severe decline in normal agriculture and abundance—society is reduced to foraging, indicating disruption of the natural order sustaining life.

How does Sage Parāśara explain scarcity in the narrative context?

Parāśara describes a progressive worsening: first beings live on fruits and roots, and then even that becomes difficult as vegetation (oṣadhi) disappears, portraying deepening distress.

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

By implication, Vishnu is the sustainer of cosmic order; when order collapses, nourishment fails—highlighting that restoration of stability ultimately depends on the Supreme sustaining principle.