Shloka 54

ध्रुवस्य तपः — देवमायाविघ्नाः, विष्णोर्दर्शनम्, स्तुतिः, ध्रुवस्थानप्रदानम्

Devanagari script

शुद्धः सूक्ष्मो ऽखिलव्यापी प्रधानात् परतः पुमान् यस्य रूपं नमस् तस्मै पुरुषाय गुणात्मने

Transliteration

śuddhaḥ sūkṣmo 'khilavyāpī pradhānāt parataḥ pumān yasya rūpaṃ namas tasmai puruṣāya guṇātmane

Translation

Pure, subtle, all-pervading—beyond Pradhāna stands the Supreme Person. To that Puruṣa, the very ground and essence of all qualities, I bow in reverence.

Word by Word

• शुद्धः: pure
• शुद्धः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण

• सूक्ष्मः: subtle
• सूक्ष्मः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूक्ष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण

• अखिल-व्यापी: all-pervading
• अखिल-व्यापी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अखिल (प्रातिपदिक) + व्यापिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण

• प्रधानात्: from Pradhāna (primordial matter)
• प्रधानात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th); एकवचन

• परतः: beyond
• परतः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परतस् (अव्यय) / पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रयोग (adverb); 'beyond/further'

• पुमान्: the Person (Puruṣa)
• पुमान्: Visheshya (Subject complement/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुमांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंस; षष्ठी-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• रूपम्: form
• रूपम्: Visheshya (Predicate nominative/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (here nominative)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Salutation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगवत् निपात (salutatory particle); नमस्कारार्थ

• तस्मै: to him
• तस्मै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंस; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th); एकवचन

• पुरुषाय: to the Puruṣa
• पुरुषाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति; एकवचन; अप्पोजिशन (in apposition to तस्मै)

• गुण-आत्मने: to the one whose essence is the guṇas
• गुण-आत्मने: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति; एकवचन; आत्मन्-शब्द (dative singular: आत्मने)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The Lord as pure, subtle, all-pervading Puruṣa beyond Pradhāna, yet grounding the guṇas

Teaching: Philosophical

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Primary

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Supreme Person is pure and all-pervading, transcending Pradhāna while being the ground in which guṇas are ordered and meaningful.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Practice discernment (viveka) between the changing guṇas and the unchanging Lord, supporting steadiness in meditation.

Vishishtadvaita: Transcendence ‘beyond Pradhāna’ with continued immanence ‘guṇātmā’: the Lord is not conditioned by matter yet governs and supports its qualities.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Gunas

FAQs

What is the significance of being 'beyond Pradhana' in the Vishnu Purana?

It asserts that Vishnu (the Supreme Puruṣa) transcends primordial Nature (Pradhāna/Prakṛti) and is not conditioned by material causality, even while pervading and governing the cosmos.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Supreme Reality here?

Through negation and transcendence: the Lord is pure and subtle, all-pervading, and higher than Pradhāna; Parāśara then concludes with devotion—offering salutations to that Puruṣa as the ultimate ground of all manifested qualities.

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

Vishnu is presented as the Supreme Person (Para Brahman) who is both transcendent (beyond Prakṛti) and immanent (all-pervading), establishing His sovereignty over creation and the guṇas.