Shloka 58

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

Devanagari script

ब्रह्माक्षरम् अजं नित्यं यथासौ पुरुषोत्तमः तथा रागादयो दोषाः प्रयान्तु प्रशमं मम

Transliteration

brahmākṣaram ajaṃ nityaṃ yathāsau puruṣottamaḥ tathā rāgādayo doṣāḥ prayāntu praśamaṃ mama

Translation

As that Supreme Person (Puruṣottama) is the imperishable syllable of Brahman—unborn and eternal—so too may the faults that begin with passion (rāga) be stilled within me and pass into perfect tranquility.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्माक्षरम्: the imperishable Brahman
• ब्रह्माक्षरम्: Predicate/Complement (विशेष्य-पूर्ति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक; components: ब्रह्म + अक्षर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (ब्रह्म एव अक्षरम्)

• अजम्: unborn
• अजम्: Qualifier (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• नित्यम्: eternal
• नित्यम्: Qualifier (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Connector (उपमान/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (comparative conjunction: 'as/just as')

• असौ: that one (he)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (दूरवाचक)

• पुरुषोत्तमः: the सर्वोत्तम among persons; Supreme Person
• पुरुषोत्तमः: Predicate/Complement (विशेष्य-पूर्ति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; components: पुरुष + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पुरुषाणाम् उत्तमः)

• तथा: so; likewise
• तथा: Adverbial (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb: 'so/in the same way')

• रागादयः: passion and the like
• रागादयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राग + आदि (प्रातिपदिक; components: राग + आदि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; 'आदि' समासान्त (rāga-etc.)

• दोषाः: faults; defects
• दोषाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; apposition to 'रागादयः'

• प्रयान्तु: may they go; let them depart
• प्रयान्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; प्र-उपसर्ग

• प्रशमम्: to quiescence; to calm
• प्रशमम्: Gati-Karma (Goal/Object of motion/गति-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रशम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• मम: of me; my
• मम: Genitive relation (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (as narrator, presenting a devotional/meditative utterance within the teaching to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Mantric contemplation of Puruṣottama as akṣara Brahman and its purificatory effect on passions

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: compassionate

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Fixing the mind on Puruṣottama—the unborn, eternal akṣara Brahman—stillness arises and faults like rāga subside into calm.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Use a short daily japa or contemplation on the Lord’s eternality (nitya, aja, akṣara) when desire or agitation arises, letting the mind return to steadiness.

Vishishtadvaita: Devotional contemplation of the personal Puruṣottama as Brahman functions as a means of inner purification—bhakti as upāya within a Brahman-centered metaphysics.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Brahman (imperishable)

FAQs

What is the significance of calling Vishnu “brahmākṣara” in the Vishnu Purana?

It identifies Vishnu with the imperishable, ultimate principle—Brahman—framing Him as the eternal ground of reality and the proper object of contemplation for liberation.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the calming of rāga and other doṣas here?

By aligning the mind with Puruṣottama—unborn and eternal—the practitioner prays for passions and allied faults to subside into praśama (deep inner quiescence), a key condition for moksha.

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

Vishnu is presented as the Supreme Person and imperishable Brahman; devotion and meditation on Him are shown as the means by which inner impurities are pacified, supporting Vaishnava moksha doctrine.