Shloka 22

परमार्थ-निर्णयः—श्रेयस्-भेदः, कर्म-ध्यान-सीमा, एकात्मदर्शनम्

Devanagari script

यत् तु निष्पाद्यते कार्यं मृदा कारणभूतया तत् कारणानुगमनाज् ज्ञायते नृप मृण्मयम्

Transliteration

yat tu niṣpādyate kāryaṃ mṛdā kāraṇabhūtayā tat kāraṇānugamanāj jñāyate nṛpa mṛṇmayam

Translation

হে রাজন! মাটিকে কারণ করে যা কিছু উৎপন্ন হয়, কারণের অনুসরণে তা ‘মাটির তৈরি’ বলেই জানা যায়।

Word by Word

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma/Topic (Object/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• तु: but
• तु: Connector (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक निपात (but/indeed)

• निष्पाद्यते: is produced
• निष्पाद्यते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निष्+पद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः—‘is produced/constructed’

• कार्यम्: an effect / product
• कार्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक; कृ (धातु) → कार्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मृदा: by clay
• मृदा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• कारण-भूतया: as the material cause
• कारण-भूतया: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कारणं भूता (कर्मधारय)

• तत्: that (effect)
• तत्: Karma/Topic (Object/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तद्-शब्दः (correlative)

• कारण-अनुगमनात्: from following/considering the cause
• कारण-अनुगमनात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक) + अनुगमन (प्रातिपदिक; अनु+गम् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—कारणस्य अनुगमनम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• ज्ञायते: is known
• ज्ञायते: Kriyā (Cognition/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे—‘is known/understood’

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• मृण्मयम्: made of clay
• मृण्मयम्: Predicate Complement (विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृद् (प्रातिपदिक) → मृण्मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तद्धित (मयट्) — ‘made of clay’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching by analogy; vocative address to a king appears within the verse)

Characters & Entities

• King (nṛpa)
• Clay (mṛd) as material cause

FAQs

What is the significance of the clay-and-product analogy in the Vishnu Purana?

It teaches that an effect is understood through its material cause: what is produced from clay is recognized as ‘clay-made’, supporting the Purana’s broader claim that the world can be known by tracing it back to its ultimate source.

How does Sage Parāśara explain cause and effect in this teaching?

He uses a clear inference: since clay is the causal substrate, the produced object is identified by that substrate—illustrating how one can reason from the visible effect to the underlying cause in cosmological explanation.

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

By establishing that effects are known through their cause, the text prepares the Vedantic conclusion that the universe, as an effect, points to and is pervaded by its supreme cause—Vishnu—as the ground of being and sovereign source of order.