Shloka 36

Devanagari script

ततस् त्रितयम् अप्य् एतन् मम धन्यतमं मतम् धर्मसंसाधने क्लेशो द्विजातीनां कृतादिषु

Transliteration

tatas tritayam apy etan mama dhanyatamaṃ matam dharmasaṃsādhane kleśo dvijātīnāṃ kṛtādiṣu

Translation

因此，在我看来，这三重（前三个时代）最为有福；因为在克利多等诸劫中，二次生者唯有凭借艰苦的努力与严谨的修持，方能圆满成就法。

Word by Word

• ततः: therefore, then
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: therefore/then/from that)

• त्रितयम्: the triad, the threefold set
• त्रितयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रितय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अत्र कर्मरूपेण (object)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन (Accusative singular pronoun)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (Genitive singular)

• धन्यतमम्: most blessed, most excellent
• धन्यतमम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; तमप्-प्रत्यय (superlative)

• मतम्: opinion, view
• मतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत (कृदन्त; √मन् धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (opinion/considered view)

• धर्मसंसाधने: in the accomplishment of dharma
• धर्मसंसाधने: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + संसाधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (धर्मस्य संसाधनम्)

• क्लेशः: hardship, difficulty
• क्लेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्लेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• द्विजातीनाम्: of the twice-born classes
• द्विजातीनाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन (Genitive plural)

• कृतादिषु: in Kṛta and the other (yugas)
• कृतादिषु: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कृत-आदि = कृत, त्रेता, द्वापरादिषु युगेषु)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Comparative difficulty of dharma across yugas, especially for the twice-born in Kṛta and subsequent ages

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: analytical

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The earlier yugas are ‘blessed’ in purity, yet dharma for the twice-born there requires greater rigor, implying that spiritual attainment depends on disciplined effort suited to the age.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Adopt age-appropriate discipline: keep modest, sustainable vows (study, restraint, charity) rather than imitating extreme austerities unsuited to one’s context.

Vishishtadvaita: Different yuga-conditions modulate the embodied soul’s capacities; grace and duty operate through time without negating the soul’s dependence on the Lord.

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Dvijāḥ (twice-born)
• Yuga cycle

FAQs

What is the significance of the ‘triad’ (tritayam) mentioned in this verse in the Vishnu Purana?

It points to the three yugas prior to Kali—Kṛta, Tretā, and Dvāpara—treated as comparatively more auspicious phases of the cosmic cycle in which dharma is more attainable and stable.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the difficulty of practicing dharma across the yugas?

He frames dharma as something that requires ‘kleśa’ (strenuous effort) for the twice-born in Kṛta and the succeeding ages, indicating that dharma is realized through disciplined practice rather than mere social identity.

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

The yuga-cycle and the rise and fall of dharma are presented as part of a divinely governed cosmic order; Vishnu remains the sovereign ground of reality through whom time, moral order, and their transformations are sustained.