Shloka 17

भार्गवसर्गः, ऋषिवंशाः, वह्नयः (अग्निवंशः), पितृसृष्टिः

Devanagari script

एवम् एकोनपञ्चाशद् वह्नयः परिकीर्तिताः

Transliteration

evam ekonapañcāśad vahnayaḥ parikīrtitāḥ

Translation

Thus, the fires (vahnayaḥ) have been declared to be forty-nine in number.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thus)

• एकोनपञ्चाशत्: forty-nine
• एकोनपञ्चाशत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक-ऊन-पञ्चाशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative) बहुवचनार्थे (qualifies वह्नयः); समासः—तत्पुरुषः: ‘एकेन ऊना पञ्चाशत्’ (one less than fifty)

• वह्नयः: fires
• वह्नयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• परिकीर्तिताः: have been proclaimed/mentioned
• परिकीर्तिताः: Kriya (Result/क्रियाफल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-कीर्त् (धातु) + त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मणि-भावः

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Final numerical total of the vahnayas (cosmic fires)

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Secondary

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Cosmic order is conveyed through precise measures and totals, indicating a knowable structure rather than randomness.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Use ‘measure’ in practice: set clear disciplines (time, study, worship) and keep them consistent to stabilize the mind.

Vishishtadvaita: The cosmos is a structured body with real parts and counts, upheld by a single sovereign principle—unity with real differentiation.

Characters & Entities

• Agni (Vahni)
• Sage Parāśara
• Maitreya

FAQs

What is the significance of enumerating the 'forty-nine fires' in the Vishnu Purana?

It signals a systematic cosmology: creation is presented as ordered and countable, with Agni’s forms classified as part of the regulated universe sustained under Vishnu’s sovereignty.

How does Sage Parāśara explain cosmological order in this section?

By listing categories with precise numbers—like the count of vahnayaḥ—Parāśara frames creation (sarga) as a structured manifestation rather than a random event, taught in a teacher-disciple dialogue to Maitreya.

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

Even when the verse focuses on elemental enumeration, the Purana’s larger intent is that such principles operate within Vishnu’s supreme governance—the cosmos is intelligible because it rests on the Highest Reality.