Shloka 134

Pracetās, Māriṣā, Dakṣa’s Re-manifestation, and the Brahma-parastava; Cyclic Creation and Genealogies

Devanagari script

अरिष्टनेमिपत्नीनाम् अपत्यानीह षोडश

Transliteration

ariṣṭanemipatnīnām apatyānīha ṣoḍaśa

Translation

Of Ariṣṭanemi’s wives, the children born here are sixteen in number.

Word by Word

• अरिष्टनेमिपत्नीनाम्: of the wives of Ariṣṭanemi
• अरिष्टनेमिपत्नीनाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरिष्टनेमि (प्रातिपदिक) + पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अरिष्टनेमेः पत्नी), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• अपत्यानि: offspring/children
• अपत्यानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• इह: here
• इह: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• षोडश: sixteen
• षोडश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (संख्या-शब्द/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; अपत्यानि इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Genealogical enumeration of progeny among divine/semi-divine lineages

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Dynasty & Genealogy

Key Kings: Ariṣṭanemi

Characters & Entities

• Ariṣṭanemi

FAQs

What is the significance of listing offspring numbers in the Vishnu Purana?

It anchors the dynastic record (vaṁśa) by fixing succession and relationships, presenting history as an ordered unfolding under dharma and ultimately under Vishnu’s governance.

How does Sage Parāśara explain genealogies to Maitreya in this section?

He proceeds in a catalog style—naming a figure, noting wives/descendants, and giving counts—so the listener can track lineage continuity and the branching of dynasties.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in a verse, the Purana frames kingship and lineage as part of cosmic order (ṛta/dharma) sustained by Vishnu as the supreme ground of stability and legitimacy.