Shloka 43

प्रचेतसां तपः तथा विष्णु-स्तुतिः

The Pracetases’ Ocean Tapas and Hymn to Vishnu

Devanagari script

परम् ईशित्वगुणवत् सर्वभूतम् असंश्रयम् नताः स्म तत् पदं विष्णोर् जिह्वादृग्गोचरं न यत्

Transliteration

param īśitvaguṇavat sarvabhūtam asaṃśrayam natāḥ sma tat padaṃ viṣṇor jihvādṛggocaraṃ na yat

Translation

We bow to that supreme station of Vishnu—endowed with the power of sovereign lordship, the very being within all beings, yet dependent on nothing—whose reality is not an object for the tongue to describe nor for the eye to behold.

Word by Word

• param: supreme
• param: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• īśitvaguṇavat: endowed with the quality of sovereignty
• īśitvaguṇavat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: īśitva + guṇa + vat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे बहुव्रीहिसदृश-विशेषण: 'īśitva-guṇaiḥ/guṇasya yuktaḥ' (possessed of the quality of lordship)

• sarvabhūtam: all-beings (all that exists)
• sarvabhūtam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थे: 'all beings' as a collective; विशेषणरूपे

• asaṃśrayam: without support/dependence
• asaṃśrayam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-saṃśraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; नञ्-पूर्वक विशेषण

• natāḥ: (they) bowed
• natāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nam (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) 'nata' = bowed; कर्तरि प्रयोगे

• sma: indeed/then (particle)
• sma: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sma (अव्यय)
• Form: स्मरण/भूतार्थसूचक अव्यय (particle indicating past/continuative)

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; निर्देशार्थक सर्वनाम

• padam: abode/state
• padam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• viṣṇoḥ: of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• jihvādṛggocaram: accessible to tongue and sight
• jihvādṛggocaram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jihvā + dṛś (दृक्) + gocara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'jihvāyāḥ dṛśaḥ gocaraḥ' (within reach of tongue and sight)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय

• yat: which
• yat: Visheshana (Relative qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम; 'na yat' = which is not

Speaker

Sage Parasara (in a doxological/teaching passage addressed to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Vishnu as sovereign Lord and indwelling being, yet beyond sensory grasp

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: compassionate

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord is the sovereign power within all beings (antaryāmin) yet independent and beyond speech and sight.

Vedantic Theme: Atman

Application: Combine inner recollection (seeing the Lord as indwelling) with humility in worship, accepting that language and perception cannot exhaust Him.

Vishishtadvaita: Strongly Vishishtadvaitic: the Supreme is both transcendent (beyond sense) and immanent (sarvabhūta-antarvāsin), with beings as His modes (prakāra).

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the significance of Vishnu being called asaṃśraya (independent) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames Vishnu as the self-subsistent Supreme—needing no external support—thereby establishing him as the ultimate ground of reality rather than a contingent deity within creation.

How does Sage Parasara explain Vishnu as both immanent and transcendent here?

By calling Vishnu sarvabhūtam (present in all beings) while also stating he is not within the reach of tongue and eye, Parasara presents a Lord who pervades all existence yet surpasses sensory and verbal grasp.

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

Vishnu is affirmed as Para Brahman endowed with īśitva (sovereign rulership), worthy of surrender (natāḥ), and ultimately beyond full description—central to Vaishnava devotion and later Vishishtadvaita/Dvaita readings.