Shloka 5

Naimittika and Prākṛtika Pralaya

Periodic and Primordial Dissolution

Devanagari script

विष्णुरूपःशतं वाति वर्षाणां वायुरूर्जितः / विष्णुरे कार्णवी भूते वर्षे ब्रह्मस्वरूपधृक् / शेते ऽनन्तासने विष्णुर्नष्टे स्थावरजङ्गमे

Transliteration

viṣṇurūpaḥśataṃ vāti varṣāṇāṃ vāyurūrjitaḥ / viṣṇure kārṇavī bhūte varṣe brahmasvarūpadhṛk / śete 'nantāsane viṣṇurnaṣṭe sthāvarajaṅgame

Translation

Hundert Jahre lang weht der mächtige Wind in der Gestalt Viṣṇus. Wenn die kosmische Flut (kārṇavī) heranrollt, bleibt allein Viṣṇu, die Gestalt Brahmās tragend. Wenn alles Unbewegte und Bewegte vergangen ist, ruht Viṣṇu auf dem endlosen Thron, Ananta.

Word by Word

• viṣṇurūpaḥśatam: a hundred forms of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇurūpaḥśatam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu-rūpa-śata (प्रातिपदिक; विष्णु + रूप + शत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Case 1/2), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विष्णोः रूपाणां शतम्)

• vāti: blows
• vāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• varṣāṇām: of years
• varṣāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Case 6), बहुवचन

• vāyuḥ: the wind
• vāyuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), एकवचन

• ūrjitaḥ: powerful, strengthened
• ūrjitaḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ūrjita (कृदन्त; ऊर्ज्/ऊर्जय् धातु-निष्पन्न)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (vāyuḥ)

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), एकवचन

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• kārṇavī: pertaining to the (cosmic) ocean
• kārṇavī: Adhikarana (Locative qualifier/अधिकरणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārṇavī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वर्षे)

• bhūte: when it has become (so), in the state of being
• bhūte: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Case 7), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वर्षे)

• varṣe: in the year/period
• varṣe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Case 7), एकवचन

• brahmasvarūpadhṛk: bearing the form of Brahmā
• brahmasvarūpadhṛk: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahma-svarūpa-dhṛk (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्म + स्वरूप + धृक्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मस्वरूपं धारयति इति); विशेषणम् (viṣṇuḥ)

• śete: lies, rests
• śete: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śī (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• anantāsane: on the seat of Ananta (Śeṣa)
• anantāsane: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ananta-āsana (प्रातिपदिक; अनन्त + आसन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Case 7), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (अनन्तस्य आसने)

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), एकवचन

• naṣṭe: when (it is) destroyed
• naṣṭe: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: naṣṭa (कृदन्त; नश् धातु-निष्पन्न)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Case 7), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• sthāvarajaṅgame: in (the state of) the immobile and mobile beings
• sthāvarajaṅgame: Adhikarana (Locative absolute complement/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāvara-jaṅgama (प्रातिपदिक; स्थावर + जङ्गम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Case 7), एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (स्थावरं च जङ्गमं च)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinatā-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Viṣṇu as the abiding reality through pralaya; all names/forms perish while the Lord remains as the ground of being.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman/Īśvara as upādāna-nimitta-kāraṇa; nāma-rūpa-laya into the causal state; permanence of the substratum amid impermanence of phenomena.

Application: Contemplate impermanence of the world and take refuge in Nārāyaṇa as the stable support; cultivate vairāgya and steady remembrance (smaraṇa) during change and loss.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic ocean / serpent-couch

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana (Brahma-khaṇḍa) pralaya/prākṛtika-pralaya descriptions in adjacent verses 1.224.6–1.224.9

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Brahma
• Ananta (Shesha)
• Vayu

FAQs

What is the importance of pralaya (cosmic dissolution) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames pralaya as a cosmic reset where all moving and unmoving creation dissolves, while Viṣṇu remains as the sustaining reality, establishing the Purāṇic view of cyclical time.

How does this verse explain what remains when the world ends?

It states that when all beings are destroyed, Viṣṇu alone remains and reclines on Ananta (Śeṣa), indicating the continuity of the divine principle beyond material dissolution.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Remembering impermanence encourages detachment, ethical living, and devotion—prioritizing lasting dharma over temporary gains.