Shloka 18

Devanagari script

ततश् चापो हृतरसा ज्योतिषं प्राप्नुवन्ति वै अग्न्यवस्थे तु सलिले तेजसा सर्वतो वृते

Transliteration

tataś cāpo hṛtarasā jyotiṣaṃ prāpnuvanti vai agnyavasthe tu salile tejasā sarvato vṛte

Translation

Daraufhin gelangen die Wasser, ihrer Essenz beraubt, in den Zustand des Leuchtens. Denn wenn Wasser in den Zustand des Feuers versetzt wird, ist es ringsum von brennender Energie umhüllt.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (then/thereafter)

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

• आपः: waters
• आपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्/आप् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Plural)

• हृतरसाः: deprived of taste
• हृतरसाः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृत (√हृ, क्त-प्रत्यय) + रस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Feminine, Nom. Pl.); कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-भावः: हृतः रसः यस्याः/यासाम् (whose taste is taken away)

• ज्योतिषम्: fire/light (the luminous principle)
• ज्योतिषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्योतिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• प्राप्नुवन्ति: they reach, attain
• प्राप्नुवन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन (Present Indicative, 3rd person, Plural)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle of emphasis/assurance)

• अग्न्यवस्थे: in the state of fire
• अग्न्यवस्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि + अवस्था (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Locative, Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: अग्नेः अवस्था (state/condition of fire)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• सलिले: in water
• सलिले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सलिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• तेजसा: by heat, by radiance
• तेजसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Instrumental, Singular)

• सर्वतः: on all sides
• सर्वतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: everywhere)

• वृते: when/where (it is) covered, enveloped
• वृते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute-like qualifier/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √वृ (धातु) क्त-प्रत्यय; वृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular); भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Elemental transmutation during pralaya: water’s essence withdrawn and its attainment of the fire-state

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: explanatory

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Primary

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When deprived of rasa, water no longer remains ‘water’ but is absorbed into tejas, illustrating reversion of the gross into a subtler elemental condition.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Meditate on the ‘return’ of experiences into their sources to cultivate detachment and steadiness amid change.

Vishishtadvaita: The cosmos undergoes real transformation of modes (not sheer illusion), yet always within the Lord’s governance—supporting qualified non-dualism’s real but dependent world.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Characters & Entities

• Agni (fire principle)
• Āpaḥ (waters)
• Tejas (radiant/fiery energy)
• Jyotis (radiance)

FAQs

What is the significance of water ‘losing its essence’ (hṛtarasa) in the Vishnu Purana?

It signals the pralaya-stage withdrawal of the sustaining quality of water, after which it no longer functions as water and is re-absorbed into the subtler luminous/fire principle (tejas/jyotis).

How does Sage Parāśara explain elemental dissolution in this verse?

He describes a step in the chain of re-absorption: water, deprived of its defining potency, transitions into a fiery-luminous state, indicating the upward movement from gross to subtler principles.

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

Even when elements transform and dissolve, the process is framed as an ordered return into the higher principle ultimately grounded in Vishnu—the sovereign reality behind cyclical creation and dissolution.