Shloka 8

Devanagari script

यदर्थं ते महात्मानस् तपस् तेपुर् महामुने प्रचेतसः समुद्राम्भस्य् एतद् आख्यातुम् अर्हसि

Transliteration

yadarthaṃ te mahātmānas tapas tepur mahāmune pracetasaḥ samudrāmbhasy etad ākhyātum arhasi

Translation

O great sage, please tell: for what purpose did those great-souled Pracetases perform austerities within the waters of the ocean?

Word by Word

• यदर्थम्: for what purpose
• यदर्थम्: Hetu/Prayojana (Purpose/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययार्थे (for what purpose)

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

• महात्मानः: great-souled ones
• महात्मानः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• तेपुः: they performed
• तेपुः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• महामुने: O great sage
• महामुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—महान् मुनिः

• प्रचेतसः: the Pracetases
• प्रचेतसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रचेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• समुद्राम्भसि: in the ocean waters
• समुद्राम्भसि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्भस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः—समुद्रस्य अम्भः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आख्यातुम्: to narrate
• आख्यातुम्: Prayojana (Purpose complement/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + ख्या (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (Infinitive/तुमन्त), क्रियार्थे (to tell)

• अर्हसि: you are able/fit (to)
• अर्हसि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Maitreya (questioning Sage Parāśara)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Maitreya

Topic: Purpose (prayojana) of the Pracetās’ austerity in the ocean

Teaching: Historical

Quality: inquisitive

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Right questioning (jijñāsā) of a qualified teacher is the doorway to understanding the purpose behind dharmic acts.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Ask ‘why’ behind practices—seek informed guidance, clarify intention, and align effort with a higher goal.

Vishishtadvaita: Knowledge is transmitted through guru-śiṣya dialogue; inquiry supports purposeful devotion rather than aimless austerity.

Characters & Entities

• Maitreya
• Sage Parāśara
• Pracetas
• Ocean (Samudra)

FAQs

What is the significance of the Pracetas performing austerities in the ocean in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames Maitreya’s inquiry into the motive behind the Pracetas’ oceanic tapas, signaling that their ascetic act is not incidental but tied to a larger dharmic and genealogical unfolding in the Purana.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the purpose of tapas in this dialogue context?

Here Maitreya explicitly requests Parāśara to disclose the intent (yadartham) behind the austerity, reflecting the Purāṇic method: spiritual acts are explained through causes, vows, and their consequences in cosmic and dynastic order.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in this verse, the Vishnu Purana’s narrative typically treats such tapas as oriented toward divine sanction and universal order under Vishnu’s sovereignty, with ascetic discipline functioning as a means to align beings with the Supreme Reality.