Shloka 44

Vishnu-sahasranāma-style Japa: Vishnu as Cosmic Cause and Inner Self

Antaryāmin

Devanagari script

नीलमेघनिभः शुद्धः सालमेघनिभस्तथा / धूमवर्णः पतिवर्णो नानारूपो(२७०)ह्यवर्णकः

Transliteration

nīlameghanibhaḥ śuddhaḥ sālameghanibhastathā / dhūmavarṇaḥ pativarṇo nānārūpo(270)hyavarṇakaḥ

Translation

يبدو كغيمةِ مطرٍ زرقاءَ داكنة—ومع ذلك فهو طاهر؛ ويبدو أيضًا كغيمةٍ شاحبة. لونه كلون الدخان، ولونٌ حنطيّ؛ يتجلّى بأشكالٍ شتّى، وهو حقًّا بلا لونٍ ثابت.

Word by Word

• नीलमेघनिभः: like a dark-blue cloud
• नीलमेघनिभः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नील + मेघ + निभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नीलमेघस्य निभः/सदृशः)

• शुद्धः: pure
• शुद्धः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सालमेघनिभः: like a sāla-cloud (a kind of cloud)
• सालमेघनिभः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साल + मेघ + निभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सालमेघस्य निभः/सदृशः)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/प्रकारार्थे (adverb: likewise)

• धूमवर्णः: smoke-colored
• धूमवर्णः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धूम + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (धूम इव वर्णः यस्य)

• पतिवर्णः: having the color of a lord/master
• पतिवर्णः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पति + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (पतेः वर्णः/वर्णवत्)

• नानारूपः: of many forms
• नानारूपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (नानाविधं रूपं यस्य)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात-अव्यय (particle: indeed/for)

• अवर्णकः: colorless; without (fixed) color
• अवर्णकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + वर्णक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-समासपूर्वक विशेषण (without color/without describable color)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Supreme appears in diverse perceptible qualities yet is ultimately beyond all sensory predicates (color/form).

Vedantic Theme: Neti-neti (via negativa) alongside divine immanence; maya as appearance without limiting the Absolute.

Application: Use nature (clouds, shifting light) as a meditation aid: observe changing qualities without clinging, remembering the changeless substratum.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: celestial panorama

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.15.43–47 (cluster of paradoxical epithets: colored/colourless; formed/formless)

FAQs

What is the importance of describing many colors and forms in the Garuda Purana?

It conveys that the subtle being is not a fixed physical body; it can appear in varied hues and forms, indicating its non-material, changeable nature.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By emphasizing variability of appearance, it implies the traveler after death is a subtle entity, whose perception-based form differs from gross embodiment during the journey through post-death realms.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat identity and appearance as impermanent; prioritize purity of conduct (dharma) over external form, since the inner condition—not outer color—governs one’s post-death experience.