Shloka 27

आत्यन्तिक-लयहेतुः: तापत्रय-विवेचनम् तथा ‘भगवान्/वासुदेव’ शब्दार्थः

Threefold Suffering and the Path to Final Liberation; Meaning of Bhagavān and Vāsudeva

Devanagari script

जराजर्जरदेहश् च शिथिलावयवः पुमान् विचलच्छीर्णदशनो वलिस्नायुशिरावृतः

Transliteration

jarājarjaradehaś ca śithilāvayavaḥ pumān vicalacchīrṇadaśano valisnāyuśirāvṛtaḥ

Translation

那人之身为老朽所摧，肢体松弛；牙齿摇落破碎，步履不稳；满布皱纹、筋络与凸显的血脉。

Word by Word

• जराजर्जरदेहः: a man whose body is worn out by old age
• जराजर्जरदेहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जरया जर्जरः देहः (प्रातिपदिक); जरा + जर्जर + देह
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (जराजर्जरः देहः यस्य)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• शिथिलावयवः: with slack/loose limbs
• शिथिलावयवः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिथिल + अवयव (प्रातिपदिक); शिथिल + अवयव
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—कर्मधारय (शिथिलाः अवयवाः यस्य)

• पुमान्: a man
• पुमान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुमांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विचलच्छीर्णदशनः: whose teeth are loose and broken
• विचलच्छीर्णदशनः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विचलत् + शीर्ण + दशन (प्रातिपदिक); विचलत्(कृदन्त) + शीर्ण(कृदन्त) + दशन
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—कर्मधारय (विचलन्ति शीर्णानि दशनानि यस्य)

• वलिस्नायुशिरावृतः: covered with wrinkles, sinews, and veins
• वलिस्नायुशिरावृतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वलि + स्नायु + शिरा + आवृत (प्रातिपदिक); आवृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—तत्पुरुष (वलि-स्नायु-शिराभिः आवृतः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya in the frame dialogue)

FAQs

What is the significance of old age (jarā) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It highlights the inescapable decay of the body under Time, reinforcing that worldly strength and status are temporary and should be guided by dharma and devotion rather than pride.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the human condition through bodily imagery here?

By listing concrete signs—slack limbs, failing teeth, wrinkles, sinews and veins—he makes impermanence undeniable, a narrative tool to detach the listener from mere physical identity.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s worldview implies that Time and mortality operate within Vishnu’s cosmic order, directing beings toward the enduring refuge beyond bodily change.