Shloka 10

वासुदेवस्वरूपनिरूपणं—सर्गक्रमश्च

Vāsudeva’s Nature and the Ordered Process of Creation

Devanagari script

परः पराणां परमः परमात्मात्मसंस्थितः रूपवर्णादिनिर्देशविशेषणविवर्जितः

Transliteration

paraḥ parāṇāṃ paramaḥ paramātmātmasaṃsthitaḥ rūpavarṇādinirdeśaviśeṣaṇavivarjitaḥ

Translation

He is the Supreme beyond all the supreme—the highest of the high; the Paramātman abiding in His own Self. He is free from every limiting description and qualifying mark—beyond form, beyond colour, and beyond all definable attributes.

Word by Word

• परः: supreme, beyond
• परः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः

• पराणाम्: of the higher ones / of the transcendent
• पराणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• परमः: the highest
• परमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः

• परमात्म-आत्म-संस्थितः: abiding in the Supreme Self / self-established in the Supreme
• परमात्म-आत्म-संस्थितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परमात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्थित (कृदन्त; √स्था धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), ‘संस्थित’ = स्थित/स्थितः; समासः: (परमात्मनि आत्मा यस्य/यत्र) इत्यर्थे

• रूप-वर्ण-आदि-निर्देश-विशेषण-विवर्जितः: devoid of descriptions/qualifiers such as form and color
• रूप-वर्ण-आदि-निर्देश-विशेषण-विवर्जितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + निर्देश (प्रातिपदिक) + विशेषण (प्रातिपदिक) + विवर्जित (कृदन्त; √वर्ज् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘विवर्जित’ = वर्जित/रहित; समासः: रूपवर्णादीनां निर्देशविशेषणैः विवर्जितः (तृतीया-तत्पुरुषार्थः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Nature and definition of the Supreme (Paramātman) beyond attributes

Teaching: Philosophical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Paramātman is supreme and self-abiding, beyond all limiting predicates such as form and color.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Contemplate the Divine beyond sensory and conceptual labels, letting meditation rest in the sense of the unconditioned.

Vishishtadvaita: Affirms God’s transcendence beyond material attributes while allowing later reconciliation with His auspicious qualities (kalyāṇa-guṇas) in Vaishnava exegesis.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Paramatman

FAQs

What is the significance of describing the Supreme as beyond form and colour in the Vishnu Purana?

It establishes that the highest reality (identified with Vishnu as Paramātman) transcends material categories and cannot be confined by ordinary descriptors like shape, colour, or other limiting attributes.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the concept of Paramātman here?

Parāśara presents Paramātman as the supreme, self-abiding reality—higher than all other “supreme” entities—and as that which stands beyond all definitional qualifiers.

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

Vishnu is positioned as the ultimate sovereign principle (Para Brahman/Paramātman), the metaphysical foundation upon which later teachings on creation, cosmic cycles, and divine governance are built.