Shloka 28

Devanagari script

काठिन्यवान् यो बिभर्ति जगद् एतद् अशेषतः शब्दादिसंश्रयो व्यापी तस्मै भूम्यात्मने नमः

Transliteration

kāṭhinyavān yo bibharti jagad etad aśeṣataḥ śabdādisaṃśrayo vyāpī tasmai bhūmyātmane namaḥ

Translation

Salutations to Him whose form is Earth—firm and enduring—who upholds this entire universe without remainder; the all-pervading support in which sound and all the objects of the senses find their refuge.

Word by Word

• kāṭhinyavān: possessing hardness/solidity
• kāṭhinyavān: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāṭhinya-vat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular) — वत्-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणम्

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• bibharti: supports/bears
• bibharti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपदम्

• jagat: the world
• jagat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• etat: this
• etat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular) — विशेषणम्

• aśeṣataḥ: entirely/without remainder
• aśeṣataḥ: Adhikarana (Manner adverbial/प्रकाराधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aśeṣatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् — क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• śabdādisaṃśrayaḥ: the support of sound etc. (sense-objects)
• śabdādisaṃśrayaḥ: Pradhana (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य-रूपेण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śabda-ādi-saṃśraya (प्रातिपदिक: śabda + ādi + saṃśraya)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular) — तत्पुरुषः (śabdādiṣu saṃśrayaḥ / śabdādīnāṃ saṃśrayaḥ)

• vyāpī: all-pervading
• vyāpī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyāpin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular) — विशेषणम्

• tasmai: to him
• tasmai: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• bhūmyātmane: to the one whose self is Earth
• bhūmyātmane: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi-ātman (प्रातिपदिक: bhūmi + ātman)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), चतुर्थी (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular) — षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (bhūmeḥ ātmā)

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Prayojana (Salutation/नमस्कार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रायम् — नमस्कारार्थक-निपातः

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How the Supreme supports the world as the elemental ground (earth) and substratum of qualities

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Secondary

Cosmic Hierarchy: Brahmanda

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord, as the Earth-principle, upholds the entire universe and serves as the pervasive support where sense-qualities like sound and others reside.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Cultivate steadiness (dhṛti) and responsibility toward the earth as sacred—seeing material support as a divine mode, not mere inert matter.

Vishishtadvaita: Matter (bhūmi and guṇas) is a real, dependent attribute-body (śarīra) of the Lord who pervades and supports it as antaryāmin.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Lakshmi Presence: Bhumi

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Bhūmi (Earth principle)

FAQs

What is the significance of Earth (Bhūmi) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

Earth is presented as a divine mode of the Supreme—its firmness symbolizes stability, and it is praised as the cosmic support through which the Lord sustains the world.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the idea of 'śabdādi-saṃśraya' here?

He describes the Supreme as the underlying refuge of sound and the other perceptible qualities, indicating that sensory properties and elements rest upon an all-pervading divine ground.

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

Vishnu is affirmed as immanent within the elements and yet all-pervading—upholding the universe while remaining the supreme foundation of all qualities and existence.