Shloka 39

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

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

Devanagari script

ज्ञानस्वरूपो भगवान् यतो ऽसाव् अशेषमूर्तिर् न तु वस्तुभूतः ततो हि शैलाब्धिधरादिभेदाञ् जानीहि विज्ञानविजृम्भितानि

Transliteration

jñānasvarūpo bhagavān yato 'sāv aśeṣamūrtir na tu vastubhūtaḥ tato hi śailābdhidharādibhedāñ jānīhi vijñānavijṛmbhitāni

Translation

Wisse, dass Bhagavān wesenhaft reines Bewusstsein ist: Er ist die Gestalt aller Gestalten, doch kein Ding unter den Dingen. Darum sind Unterschiede wie Berg, Ozean und die tragende Erde als Entfaltungen zu verstehen, die durch sein göttliches Wissen (vijñāna) offenbar werden.

Word by Word

• jñānasvarūpaḥ: whose nature is knowledge
• jñānasvarūpaḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jñāna + svarūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (jñānasya svarūpaḥ)

• bhagavān: the Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• yataḥ: because; from which
• yataḥ: Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yataḥ (यतः इति अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेतु/यस्मात्-अर्थे (from which; because)

• asau: that (he)
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• aśeṣamūrtiḥ: (one) of infinite forms
• aśeṣamūrtiḥ: Predicate/Identificational (सम्बन्ध/अभेद)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśeṣa + mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (अशेषा मূर्तिः यस्य)

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha (Contrast marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (तु इति अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेष (but; however)

• vastubhūtaḥ: a concrete thing; objectified
• vastubhūtaḥ: Predicate/Identificational (सम्बन्ध/अभेद)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vastu + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष (vastu-bhūtaḥ = ‘become a thing’)

• tataḥ: therefore
• tataḥ: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्-अर्थे (therefore/from that)

• hi: indeed; for
• hi: Nipata (Emphasis/Reason)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (हि इति अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/कारण (indeed; for)

• śailābdhidharādibhedān: the distinctions (like mountains, oceans, earth, etc.)
• śailābdhidharādibhedān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaila + abdhi + dharā + ādi + bheda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; समासः (śaila-abdhi-dharā-ādi)-bhedān = ‘differences such as mountains, oceans, earth, etc.’

• jānīhi: know; understand
• jānīhi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (ज्ञा धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• vijñānavijṛmbhitāni: manifested/expanded by (mere) cognition
• vijñānavijṛmbhitāni: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vijñāna + vijṛmbhita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कृदन्त (√jṛmbh ‘to expand’ + kta) ‘expanded’; तत्पुरुष (vijñānena vijṛmbhitāni)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Ontological status of distinctions (mountain/ocean/earth) and their dependence on Bhagavān’s consciousness and vijñāna

Teaching: Philosophical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Bhagavān is consciousness itself—bearing all forms without becoming a finite object—so worldly distinctions are manifestations dependent on His vijñāna.

Vedantic Theme: Atman

Application: Cultivate viveka: see forms and differences as dependent realities, and anchor awareness in the witnessing consciousness aligned with devotion to Bhagavān.

Vishishtadvaita: Maintains Bhagavān’s transcendence (not a ‘thing among things’) while allowing real, God-dependent plurality as His manifested modes.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman (philosophical)

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu (Bhagavan)
• Mountains (śaila)
• Ocean (abdhi)
• Earth/Supporter (dhara)

FAQs

What is the significance of describing Bhagavān as jñānasvarūpa in the Vishnu Purana?

It asserts that Vishnu’s ultimate nature is pure consciousness, not material substance, making Him the ground of all experience and all cosmic forms.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the diversity of the world (mountains, oceans, earth) here?

He frames worldly differences as vijñāna-vijṛmbhita—unfoldings of divine knowledge—so plurality is real as manifestation, while the Supreme remains beyond objecthood.

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

Vishnu is presented as the Supreme Reality who pervades all forms without becoming a finite thing, aligning creation with His sovereignty and conscious power.