Shloka 29

Devanagari script

यद् योनिभूतं जगतो बीजं यत् सर्वदेहिनाम् तत् तोयरूपम् ईशस्य नमामो हरिमेधसः

Transliteration

yad yonibhūtaṃ jagato bījaṃ yat sarvadehinām tat toyarūpam īśasya namāmo harimedhasaḥ

Translation

We bow to the Lord—Hari of unfailing wisdom—whose watery form becomes the womb of the universe, the seed of the cosmos, and the generative principle of all embodied beings.

Word by Word

• yat: that which
• yat: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular) — सर्वनाम-रूपम्

• yonibhūtam: become the source
• yonibhūtam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yoni-bhūta (प्रातिपदिक: yoni + bhūta)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular) — विशेषणम्; तत्पुरुषः (yoniḥ bhūtaṃ)

• jagataḥ: of the world
• jagataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• bījam: seed
• bījam: Pradhana (Predicate/विशेष्य-रूपेण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bīja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• yat: which
• yat: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• sarvadehinām: of all embodied beings
• sarvadehinām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva-dehin (प्रातिपदिक: sarva + dehin)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural) — तत्पुरुषः (sarveṣāṃ dehinām)

• tat: that
• tat: Pradhana (Correlative/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• toyarūpam: the form of water
• toyarūpam: Pradhana (Predicate/विशेष्य-रूपेण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: toya-rūpa (प्रातिपदिक: toya + rūpa)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular) — तत्पुरुषः (toyasya rūpam)

• īśasya: of the Lord
• īśasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• namāmaḥ: we bow
• namāmaḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपदम्

• harimedhasaḥ: of Hari of wise/intelligent essence
• harimedhasaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari-medhas (प्रातिपदिक: hari + medhas)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular) — तत्पुरुषः (hareḥ medhā/medhas)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya; part of a cosmological praise of Vishnu as the material and efficient cause)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The Lord as the causal waters—womb and seed of the cosmos and of embodied life

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Secondary

Cosmic Hierarchy: Brahmanda

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Hari’s watery form is the generative matrix of the universe—the womb and seed from which embodied beings arise.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Use water-offerings (arghya, ācamana, tarpaṇa) as mindful acts, remembering the divine source of life and creation.

Vishishtadvaita: Causality is grounded in the personal Lord: the material matrix (waters) is his mode, while he remains the intelligent ruler of creation.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu (Hari)
• Ishvara (the Lord)
• Cosmic Waters (Toya/Apas)

FAQs

What is the significance of the 'cosmic waters' (toya) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse identifies the primordial waters as a form of the Lord Himself—the generative matrix in which the universe and all embodied life find their causal ground.

How does Sage Parāśara explain creation (Sarga) through cause and source imagery?

By calling the Lord both 'yoni' (womb/source) and 'bīja' (seed), Parāśara presents Vishnu as the foundational cause from which the cosmos arises and by which it is sustained.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Vishnu is praised as Īśvara—the Supreme Reality whose own being becomes the basis of creation, emphasizing His sovereignty and causal supremacy central to Vaishnava philosophy.