Shloka 1

Maitreya’s Inquiry into Prahlāda: The Logic of Bhakti’s Invincibility

Devanagari script

कथितो भवता वंशो मानवानां महामुने कारणं चास्य जगतो विष्णुर् एव सनातनः

Transliteration

kathito bhavatā vaṃśo mānavānāṃ mahāmune kāraṇaṃ cāsya jagato viṣṇur eva sanātanaḥ

Translation

O great sage, you have recounted to me the lineage of humankind; and you have declared that the eternal Viṣṇu alone is the cause of this entire world.

Word by Word

• कथितः: told, narrated
• कथितः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथित (कृदन्त; √कथ् धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; past passive participle (PPP)

• भवता: by you
• भवता: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; Instrumental singular

• वंशः: lineage, dynasty
• वंशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वंश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Nominative singular

• मानवानाम्: of humans
• मानवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• महामुने: O great sage
• महामुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामुनि (प्रातिपदिक; महा + मुनि)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; Vocative singular

• कारणम्: cause
• कारणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; Nom./Acc. singular

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय; conjunction

• अस्य: of this, of it
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; Genitive singular

• जगतः: of the world
• जगतः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; Genitive singular

• विष्णुः: Vishnu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Nominative singular

• एव: indeed, alone
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय; emphatic particle

• सनातनः: eternal
• सनातनः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Nominative singular (qualifying विष्णुः)

Speaker

Maitreya (addressing Sage Parāśara)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Maitreya

Topic: Having heard human lineages and that Viṣṇu is the sole eternal cause of the world, Maitreya seeks further clarification through the Prahlāda episode.

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Viṣṇu alone, eternal and unsurpassed, is the cause of the entire jagat.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Contemplate the world as dependent on the Lord and align choices with dharma as service to the true ground of being.

Vishishtadvaita: Affirms a single supreme cause (Viṣṇu) of the universe, supporting the dependence (śeṣatva) of jagat on the Lord.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Maitreya
• Parasara
• Humankind (Manavas)

FAQs

What is the significance of human genealogies (mānava-vaṃśa) in the Vishnu Purana?

They situate history and kingship within a sacred cosmic order, showing that human lineages unfold under the overarching causality and governance of Viṣṇu.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the cause of the universe in this dialogue?

Through Maitreya’s summary here, Parāśara’s teaching is framed as both historical (dynasties) and metaphysical: the same Viṣṇu who sustains dharma is affirmed as the eternal cause of the world.

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

Viṣṇu is presented as sanātana—the enduring supreme principle—so genealogy and cosmology are ultimately grounded in Him as the singular source and support of all existence.