Shloka 17

वाराहावतारः (भूम्युद्धारः) — Varāha, the Raising of the Earth and the Recommencement of Creation

Devanagari script

भवतो यत् परं रूपं तन् न जानाति कश्चन अवतारेषु यद् रूपं तद् अर्चन्ति दिवौकसः

Transliteration

bhavato yat paraṃ rūpaṃ tan na jānāti kaścana avatāreṣu yad rūpaṃ tad arcanti divaukasaḥ

Translation

Niemand erkennt wahrhaft Deine transzendente, höchste Gestalt. Die Götter verehren die Gestalt, die Du in Deinen Avatāras annimmst — die offenbaren Erscheinungen Deiner Herabkunft.

Word by Word

भवतःof you

यत्which

परम्supreme, highest

रूपम्form

तत्that

नnot

जानातिknows

कश्चनanyone

अवतारेषुin the incarnations

यत्which

रूपम्form

तत्that

अर्चन्तिworship

दिवौकसःthe gods (heaven-dwellers)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

Vishnu

Devas (Divaukasaḥ)

FAQs

What is the significance of Vishnu’s “supreme form” (para-rūpa) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse emphasizes that Vishnu’s ultimate, transcendent reality is beyond ordinary knowing; even the gods relate primarily to His manifest, worshippable forms in avatāras.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the difference between the transcendent and the avatāra forms?

Parāśara distinguishes the unknowable supreme nature of Vishnu from the approachable forms He assumes in incarnations—those are the forms that become the focus of divine worship and narrative revelation.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Vishnu is presented as the highest reality whose essence surpasses even the devas, while His avatāras function as compassionate, accessible manifestations that sustain and restore universal order.