Shloka 154

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

Devanagari script

दैत्येन्द्रसूदोपहृतं यश् च हालाहलं विषम् जरयाम् आस मतिमान् अविकारम् अमत्सरी

Transliteration

daityendrasūdopahṛtaṃ yaś ca hālāhalaṃ viṣam jarayām āsa matimān avikāram amatsarī

Translation

He—wise, unchanging, and free from envy—rendered harmless even the dreadful Hālāhala poison that had arisen through the slaying of the lord of the Daityas.

Word by Word

• daitya-indra-sūda-upahṛtam: brought by the slayer of the demon-lord
• daitya-indra-sūda-upahṛtam: Visheshana (Qualifier of ‘viṣam’/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक) + sūda (प्रातिपदिक) + upa√hṛ (धातु) + kta
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—‘दैत्येन्द्रस्य सूदः’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) + ‘उपहृतम्’ (brought/obtained)

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

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• hālāhalam: hālāhala (deadly poison)
• hālāhalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hālāhala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• viṣam: poison
• viṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘हाला हलम्’ इत्यस्य अप्पोजिशनम्

• jarayām: digested/caused to wither away
• jarayām: Kriya (Verbal action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jara (प्रातिपदिक) + √yā (धातु)
• Form: णिच्-प्रयोगे देश्य-रूपम्; ‘जरयाम्’ = जरयाम् (causative/denominative sense ‘to make decay/digest’), लिट्/लुङ्-सम्भाव्य; अव्यक्त-रूपेण ‘आस’ सह परिप्रयोगः (periphrastic perfect)

• āsa: did/was (auxiliary)
• āsa: Kriya (Auxiliary predicate/सहायक-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect) सहायक-क्रिया (auxiliary), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• matimān: wise/intelligent
• matimān: Visheshana (Qualifier of ‘yaḥ’/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: matimat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• avikāram: unchanged/unaffected
• avikāram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + vikāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘विषम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• amatsarī: free from envy
• amatsarī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + matsarin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘यः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Examples of the Lord’s unsurpassed power and equanimity (avikāratā, amātsarya).

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Supreme remains avikāra (unchanged) and amātsarya (without envy), able to digest even world-threatening विष as a mere play of His śakti.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice non-reactivity and freedom from envy; meet ‘poisons’ of life with steadiness grounded in the Lord.

Vishishtadvaita: Bhagavān’s transcendence (nirvikāratā) together with immanent governance of material forces supports qualified non-dualism: the world is real yet controlled by Him.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Daityas
• Hālāhala (poison)

FAQs

What is the significance of Hālāhala poison in the Vishnu Purana?

Hālāhala symbolizes a cosmic threat released during great transitions (like the ocean-churning); this verse presents the Supreme’s power to neutralize even primal poison, reaffirming divine guardianship of the universe.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Lord’s nature here?

By describing him as matimān (all-wise), avikāra (unchanging), and amatsarī (free from envy), Parāśara frames the Lord as transcendent and morally perfect while still acting within history to protect creation.

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

Vishnu is portrayed as the sovereign preserver whose changeless supremacy enables him to absorb or nullify cosmic disorder, a key Vaishnava teaching about the Supreme’s role in sustaining dharma and the world.