Vishnu Purana 5.23.40 — Krishna Avatara, Amsha 5, Adhyaya 23, Shloka 40

Kālayavana’s Rise, Dvārakā’s Founding, and Muchukunda’s Awakening (Śaraṇāgati & Brahman-Stuti)

Devanagari script

सुखबुद्ध्या मया सर्वं गृहीतम् इदम् अव्यय परिणामे तद् एवेश तापात्मकम् अभून् मम

Transliteration

sukhabuddhyā mayā sarvaṃ gṛhītam idam avyaya pariṇāme tad eveśa tāpātmakam abhūn mama

Translation

我以为能得快乐，便把这一切当作恒常安稳而执取；然而主啊，当果报展开时，同样之物于我只成了灼烧的悲苦。

Word by Word

• सुख-बुद्ध्या: with the notion of happiness
• सुख-बुद्ध्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक) + बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Case 3/करण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सुखस्य बुद्धिः)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (Case 3), एकवचन

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), एकवचन

• गृहीतम्: taken/accepted
• गृहीतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु) → गृहीत (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), एकवचन

• अव्यय: O imperishable one
• अव्यय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा (Case 8/1), एकवचन; विशेषण (हे अव्यय = O imperishable)

• परिणामे: in the end/as a result
• परिणामे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिणाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Case 7/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), एकवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• ईश: O lord
• ईश: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Case 8), एकवचन

• ताप-आत्मकम्: consisting of torment
• ताप-आत्मकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ताप (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (तापः आत्मा यस्य)

• अभूत्: became
• अभूत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• मम: for me/of me
• मम: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (Case 6), एकवचन

Speaker

A worldly-bound speaker (within Parasara’s narration) lamenting attachment; framed in the Vishnu Purana’s teacher–disciple discourse (Parasara instructing Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Krishna is invoked as the Lord to whom the speaker admits the error of treating transient acquisitions as imperishable, seeking release through divine grace.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Right knowledge leading to detachment and surrender

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: What is grasped as ‘lasting happiness’ becomes suffering when its impermanent nature and karmic consequences mature.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: When pursuing goals, explicitly factor impermanence; practice daily reflection on outcomes (pariṇāma) and cultivate contentment through devotion rather than acquisition.

Vishishtadvaita: The mismatch between finite objects and infinite fulfillment points to the jīva’s proper telos: service to the ever-enduring Lord.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Isha (Lord)
• Vishnu (implied as Supreme Lord addressed as Īśa)

FAQs

What is the significance of pariṇāma (consequence) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It highlights that what is grasped as “happiness” often reveals its real nature only in its outcome—turning into tāpa (burning distress) when karmic results mature.

How does Sage Parasara explain the shift from pleasure to suffering?

Through the logic of samsara: attachment makes the impermanent seem permanent, but when results unfold, the same objects and choices become sources of torment, prompting vairagya and turning the mind toward the Lord.

What is the theological importance of addressing the Lord as Īśa here?

Calling the Lord “Īśa” frames the lament as a movement toward surrender—implying that true stability lies not in worldly grasping but in the sovereignty and refuge of Vishnu.