Shloka 4

Devanagari script

सर्गस्थितिविनाशानां जगतो यो जगन्मयः मूलभूतो नमस् तस्मै विष्णवे परमात्मने

Transliteration

sargasthitivināśānāṃ jagato yo jaganmayaḥ mūlabhūto namas tasmai viṣṇave paramātmane

Translation

Salutations to that Viṣṇu, the Supreme Self—who, pervading the universe as its very essence, stands as the primordial ground of this world’s creation, continuance, and dissolution.

Word by Word

• सर्ग-स्थिति-विनाशानाम्: of creation, maintenance, and destruction
• सर्ग-स्थिति-विनाशानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थिति (प्रातिपदिक) + विनाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः—‘सर्गस्य च स्थितेः च विनाशस्य च’

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

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• जगन्मयः: pervaded by / consisting of the world
• जगन्मयः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘जगता मयः/जगन्मयः’ (consisting of the world); विशेषण

• मूल-भूतः: the fundamental source
• मूल-भूतः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूल (प्रातिपदिक) + भू (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय) ‘भूत’, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘मूलं भूतः’ (having become the root/fundamental)

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

• तस्मै: to him
• तस्मै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• विष्णवे: to Viṣṇu
• विष्णवे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• परमात्मने: to the Supreme Self
• परमात्मने: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘परमः आत्मा’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (invocatory statement within the Parāśara–Maitreya dialogue framework)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Invocation: Viṣṇu as jaganmaya, the primordial ground of sṛṣṭi-sthiti-vināśa

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Kalpa

Cosmic Hierarchy: Brahmanda

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Viṣṇu, as the universe’s inner essence (jaganmaya), is the root basis of creation, continuance, and dissolution.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Anchor daily life in remembrance of the Lord as the stable substrate beneath cyclical change, fostering equanimity and devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: Expresses immanence (jaganmaya) without collapsing transcendence—world as His body, He as the indwelling Self and ground.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Lakshmi Presence: Sri

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Paramatman (Supreme Self)

FAQs

What is the significance of sarga, sthiti, and vināśa in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse identifies Vishnu as the single supreme basis behind the universe’s three cosmic functions—creation, preservation, and dissolution—framing all cosmology as dependent on the Paramatman.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Supreme cause in this opening context?

By invoking Vishnu as both jaganmaya (pervading the universe) and mūlabhūta (its root source), Parāśara presents a Supreme who is simultaneously immanent and transcendent.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Vishnu is praised as Paramatman—the ultimate reality and sovereign ground of all cosmic cycles—supporting a strongly Vaishnava reading aligned with later Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita emphases on Vishnu’s supremacy.