Shloka 30

सोमचक्रः, ग्रह-रथाः, ध्रुवबन्धनं, शिशुमारसंनिवेशः, विष्णु-सर्वात्मकता

Moon, Planets, Dhruva-Tethering, Śiśumāra, and Vishnu as All

Devanagari script

यद् अह्ना कुरुते पापं दृष्ट्वा तं निशि मुच्यते यावन्त्यश् चैव तारास् ताः शिशुमाराश्रिता दिवि तावन्त्य् एव तु वर्षाणि जीवत्य् अभ्यधिकानि च

Transliteration

yad ahnā kurute pāpaṃ dṛṣṭvā taṃ niśi mucyate yāvantyaś caiva tārās tāḥ śiśumārāśritā divi tāvanty eva tu varṣāṇi jīvaty abhyadhikāni ca

Translation

Welche Sünde ein Mensch am Tage auch begeht, beim Anblick jenes (Śiśumāra) in der Nacht wird er davon befreit. Und so viele Sterne am Himmel im Śiśumāra geborgen sind, so viele Jahre — ja noch mehr — lebt er.

Word by Word

• यत्: whatever (sin) which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; यत्-सम्बन्धि सर्वनाम

• अह्ना: by day
• अह्ना: Karana (Instrument/Time-instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; कालवाचक-करण (by day)

• कुरुते: does/commits
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभाव-स्वरूप कृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): 'having seen'

• तम्: him/that (Śiśumāra)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• निशि: at night
• निशि: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कालवाचक-अधिकरण

• मुच्यते: is released (from)
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Result/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• यावन्त्यः: as many as
• यावन्त्यः: Visheshana (Quantifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यावत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; परिमाणवाचक-विशेषण (as many as)

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

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• ताराः: stars
• ताराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तारा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ताः: those
• ताः: Karta (Correlative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• शिशुमाराश्रिताः: resting on/attached to Śiśumāra
• शिशुमाराश्रिताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिशुमार + आश्रित (आ + श्रि धातु, क्त कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (शिशुमारम् आश्रिताः), क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (ताराः इति विशेष्य)

• दिवि: in heaven/in the sky
• दिवि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्/द्यौस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक-अधिकरण

• तावन्ति: so many
• तावन्ति: Visheshana (Quantifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; परिमाणवाचक-विशेषण (so many)

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

• तु: but/and
• तु: Sambandha (Contrast/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle)

• वर्षाणि: years
• वर्षाणि: Karma (Extent/कर्म-परिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; कालपरिमाण

• जीवति: he lives
• जीवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जीव् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अभ्यधिकानि: additional; more
• अभ्यधिकानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभ्यधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (वर्षाणि इति विशेष्य)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Merit of beholding the Śiśumāra at night; its sin-destroying and life-extending fruit

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: compassionate

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Darśana of a sacred cosmic form functions as a purifier, indicating that devotion and contemplation can burn away demerit.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Adopt regular contemplative practice (nightly remembrance, stotra, or sky-meditation) as a rhythm of self-correction and renewal.

Vishishtadvaita: Purification through reverent contemplation aligns with grace-mediated transformation while maintaining the reality of the soul’s moral agency.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Śiśumāra
• Tārāḥ (stars)

FAQs

What is the significance of the Śiśumāra in the Vishnu Purana?

In this passage, the Śiśumāra is a sacred celestial configuration whose contemplation functions as a purifier—removing sins accumulated in daily life and conferring auspicious longevity.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the benefit of seeing the Śiśumāra at night?

Parāśara states that simply beholding it at night releases one from sins committed during the day, presenting a cosmological practice where the ordered heavens serve as a moral-spiritual aid.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in this verse, the teaching aligns with Vaishnava cosmology where the universe is an expression of supreme order; contemplating cosmic structure becomes a means of aligning the self with that higher reality.