Shloka 2

वासुदेवस्वरूपनिरूपणं—सर्गक्रमश्च

Vāsudeva’s Nature and the Ordered Process of Creation

Devanagari script

नमो हिरण्यगर्भाय हरये शंकराय च वासुदेवाय ताराय सर्गस्थित्यन्तकारिणे

Transliteration

namo hiraṇyagarbhāya haraye śaṃkarāya ca vāsudevāya tārāya sargasthityantakāriṇe

Translation

Salutations to Hiraṇyagarbha; salutations to Hari; and also to Śaṅkara—indeed to Vāsudeva, the guiding Deliverer, who brings about creation, sustains the worlds, and, at the end, draws them back into Himself.

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Interjectional/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः (salutation as exclamation)

• हिरण्यगर्भाय: to Hiraṇyagarbha
• हिरण्यगर्भाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिरण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘हिरण्यस्य गर्भः’

• हरये: to Hari
• हरये: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• शंकराय: to Śaṅkara
• शंकराय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक)

• वासुदेवाय: to Vāsudeva
• वासुदेवाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• ताराय: to the savior (Tārā)
• ताराय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• सर्ग-स्थिति-अन्त-कारिणे: to the doer of creation, maintenance, and dissolution
• सर्ग-स्थिति-अन्त-कारिणे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थिति (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्वपूर्वक तत्पुरुषः—‘सर्गं च स्थितिं च अन्तं च करोति’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (invocatory praise within the Parāśara–Maitreya dialogue frame)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Invocation identifying Viṣṇu as Hiraṇyagarbha/Hari/Śaṅkara and as the agent of creation, maintenance, and reabsorption

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: All cosmic functions—sarga, sthiti, and anta—are ultimately executed by Vāsudeva, who is named through multiple cosmic titles.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: See diverse divine names and functions as coordinated expressions of one Supreme Lord, reducing sectarian division in practice.

Vishishtadvaita: Integrates functional plurality (creator/sustainer/dissolver) into the unity of Vāsudeva, supporting one Lord with many modes.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Vasudeva

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Vyuha Form: Vasudeva

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Hiranyagarbha
• Hari (Vishnu)
• Shankara
• Vasudeva

FAQs

What is the significance of Sarga–Sthiti–Anta in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames the entire Purana by identifying the Supreme Lord (Vāsudeva) as the single cause and governor of creation, preservation, and dissolution—cosmic order is not accidental but willed and sustained by Him.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the unity of divine functions (Brahmā/Viṣṇu/Śiva) here?

By saluting Hiraṇyagarbha, Hari, and Śaṅkara together and then naming Vāsudeva as the one who performs sarga, sthiti, and anta, the verse suggests these roles are integrated in the Supreme, not competing deities.

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

Vishnu is presented as Vāsudeva—the transcendent and immanent Supreme—who both governs the universe and serves as tārā (the deliverer), aligning with Vaishnava readings foundational to later Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita emphases on divine sovereignty.