Shloka 71

प्रह्लादस्य अव्यभिचारिणी भक्ति, मायाविनाशः, तथा विष्णोः विश्वरूप-स्तुतिः

Devanagari script

समस्तकर्मभोक्ता च कर्मोपकरणानि च त्वम् एव विष्णो सर्वाणि सर्वकर्मफलं च यत्

Transliteration

samastakarmabhoktā ca karmopakaraṇāni ca tvam eva viṣṇo sarvāṇi sarvakarmaphalaṃ ca yat

Translation

You alone, O Viṣṇu, are the experiencer of every action; and you alone are also the instruments by which action is done. You are all that exists—and you are likewise the fruit of every deed.

Word by Word

• samasta-karma-bhoktā: the enjoyer/experiencer of all actions
• samasta-karma-bhoktā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samasta (प्रातिपदिक) + karma(n) (प्रातिपदिक) + bhoktṛ (भोक्‍तृ, कर्तृ-प्रातिपदिक from √bhuj भुज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समास (‘all-actions’ + ‘enjoyer/experiencer’)

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

• karma-upakaraṇāni: the instruments/means of action
• karma-upakaraṇāni: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karma(n) (प्रातिपदिक) + upakaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (‘instruments/means of action’)

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

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• eva: alone/indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• viṣṇo: O Viṣṇu
• viṣṇo: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sarvāṇi: all (things)
• sarvāṇi: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• sarva-karma-phalam: the fruit/result of all actions
• sarva-karma-phalam: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + karma(n) (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समास (‘fruit/result of all actions’)

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

• yat: which/that (whatever)
• yat: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun: ‘which/that’)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in the Parāśara–Maitreya dialogue, presenting a devotional-philosophical affirmation of Vishnu’s supremacy)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Viṣṇu as the enjoyer (bhoktā), instruments (karaṇas), and fruits (phala) of all karma

Teaching: Philosophical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Viṣṇu is proclaimed as the ultimate experiencer of actions, the very instruments of action, and the resulting fruits—so all agency and outcome are finally rooted in Him.

Vedantic Theme: Karma

Application: Perform duties with īśvara-arpana (offering to the Lord) and accept results as prasāda, reducing egoic doership.

Vishishtadvaita: While individual selves act as dependent agents, their capacities, instruments, and fruition are sustained and regulated by the indwelling Lord (antaryāmin), preserving both dependence and real plurality.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari (name)

Bhakti Type: Dasya (servant)

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the significance of karma and its fruits in this verse of the Vishnu Purana?

The verse declares that Vishnu pervades the entire karmic process: the doer’s experience, the means of action, and even the resulting fruit—placing karma within divine sovereignty rather than independent fate.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the relationship between the soul’s actions and Vishnu?

In the Parāśara–Maitreya teaching style, Parāśara frames Vishnu as the inner ground of all activity—so actions occur through instruments sustained by him, and their outcomes ultimately rest in him.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Vishnu is presented as the Supreme Reality who is both immanent in the world-process and transcendent as its final end—supporting a Vaishnava view where all agency and reward are dependent on him.