Shloka 1

Devanagari script

मैत्रेय श्रूयतां सम्यक् चरितं तस्य धीमतः प्रह्लादस्य सदोदारचरितस्य महात्मनः

Transliteration

maitreya śrūyatāṃ samyak caritaṃ tasya dhīmataḥ prahlādasya sadodāracaritasya mahātmanaḥ

Translation

O Maitreya, listen attentively and in full: I shall relate the life-story of that wise and great-souled Prahlāda—whose conduct is ever noble and magnanimous.

Word by Word

• मैत्रेय: O Maitreya
• मैत्रेय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• श्रूयताम्: let it be heard
• श्रूयताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सम्यक्: properly, well
• सम्यक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• चरितम्: the story/deeds
• चरितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √चर्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• धीमतः: of the wise
• धीमतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धीमत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; मतुप्-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण

• प्रह्लादस्य: of Prahlāda
• प्रह्लादस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रह्लाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• सदोदारचरितस्य: of him whose conduct is ever noble
• सदोदारचरितस्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सदा (अव्यय) + उदार + चरित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-समासभाव (सदा उदारं चरितं यस्य)

• महात्मनः: of the great-souled
• महात्मनः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Maitreya’s request for the full account of the Daitya-lord; Parāśara pivots to Prahlāda’s exemplary life as the spiritual counterpoint.

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: authoritative, laudatory, setting Prahlāda as a model of bhakti

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Prahlāda’s life is presented as an authoritative paradigm that true greatness lies in unwavering devotion and noble conduct, not in power.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice śravaṇa (attentive listening) to bhakti narratives and cultivate steady, magnanimous conduct even amid social pressure.

Vishishtadvaita: Bhakti is directed to the personal Lord (Hari) whose grace makes a devotee ‘mahātmā’; devotion and ethical excellence are integrated, not opposed.

Prahlada Narrative

Phase: Teaching (Prahlada's schools)

Bhakti Quality: Steadfast śraddhā and noble conduct (sad-ācāra) rooted in unwavering devotion to Hari

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Maitreya
• Parāśara
• Prahlāda

FAQs

What is the significance of Prahlāda’s story in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse formally introduces Prahlāda’s sacred biography as an exemplary model of noble conduct and steadfast devotion, setting the stage for bhakti-centered teaching.

How does Sage Parāśara frame the teaching for Maitreya here?

Parāśara begins with an invitation to attentive listening (śrūyatām samyak), indicating that the narrative is not mere history but a deliberate spiritual instruction through Prahlāda’s character.

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

By elevating Prahlāda as “mahātman” and “ever-noble,” the text signals that devotion to Vishnu produces the highest ethical and spiritual stature—bhakti as a path aligned with Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty.