Shloka 38

वेन-पृथु-प्रादुर्भावः, राजधर्मः, पृथिवीदोहनम्

Vena–Pṛthu Episode and the Milking of Earth

Devanagari script

ततो ऽस्य दक्षिणं हस्तं ममन्थुस् ते द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

tato 'sya dakṣiṇaṃ hastaṃ mamanthus te dvijottamāḥ

Translation

Then those foremost among the twice-born sages churned his right hand, to draw forth from that sacred limb the next ordained manifestation in the unfolding of creation.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमसूचक (thereupon)

• अस्य: of him
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दक्षिणम्: right
• दक्षिणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• हस्तम्: hand
• हस्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• ममन्थुः: they churned
• ममन्थुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन्थ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• द्विजोत्तमाः: the best brahmins
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे ‘द्विजानाम् उत्तमाः’ (best of the twice-born)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How Pṛthu came forth after Vena’s sin was expelled.

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Secondary

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Righteous order is ‘manifested’ through dharmic ritual agency: the sages act as instruments by which the cosmic governor brings forth the next necessary ruler.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Support institutions and practices that cultivate ethical leadership; personal discipline and communal rites can ‘bring forth’ better social order.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord as jagat-kāraṇa works through qualified means (ṛṣis, rites, embodied causes) without losing transcendence—immanence through dharma-niyama.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Dharma Exemplar: Rājadharma (right kingship)

Key Kings: Vena, Pṛthu

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Foremost Brahmin sages (Dvijottamas)

FAQs

What is the significance of “churning” (manthana) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

Here “churning” is a metaphor for manifestation—an image of latent cosmic potential being brought into ordered expression through divine ordinance and sage-agency.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the emergence of beings in this context?

He frames creation as a sequential unfolding: sages act within the divine plan, and specific forms arise from specific “members,” emphasizing order rather than randomness.

What is the theological importance in this line, from a Vaishnava perspective?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the line, the Purana’s logic treats creation as dependent on the Supreme Reality’s body/order—beings arise by that higher sovereignty, not independently.