Shloka 41

वासुदेवस्वरूपनिरूपणं—सर्गक्रमश्च

Vāsudeva’s Nature and the Ordered Process of Creation

Devanagari script

स्पर्शमात्रस् ततो वायू रूपमात्रं समावृणोत् ज्योतिश् चापि विकुर्वाणं रसमात्रं ससर्ज ह

Transliteration

sparśamātras tato vāyū rūpamātraṃ samāvṛṇot jyotiś cāpi vikurvāṇaṃ rasamātraṃ sasarja ha

Translation

Then Vāyu, whose essence is touch alone, enveloped the subtle principle of form; and Jyotis (Fire), further transforming, brought forth the subtle principle of taste (rasa-tanmātra).

Word by Word

• स्पर्शमात्रः: mere touch (touch-only principle)
• स्पर्शमात्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्पर्श (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (स्पर्शस्य मात्रः = only touch), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable adverb ‘then/from that’

• वायू: wind
• वायू: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (वैदिक/छान्दस रूप) = Masculine, Nominative, Singular (Vedic/metrical form for वायुः)

• रूपमात्रम्: mere form
• रूपमात्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन = Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• समावृणोत्: covered, enveloped
• समावृणोत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + वृ (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद = Imperfect, 3rd person, singular, active

• ज्योतिः: light, fire
• ज्योतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्योतिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन = Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/ conjunction) = ‘and’

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle) = ‘also/even’

• विकुर्वाणम्: transforming
• विकुर्वाणम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + कृ (धातु) → विकुर्वाण (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (ज्योतिः) = P.A.P., acc sg, qualifying ‘jyotis’ as object/participant

• रसमात्रम्: mere taste
• रसमात्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रस (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (रसस्य मात्रम् = only taste), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन = Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• ससर्ज: created
• ससर्ज: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद = Perfect, 3rd person, singular, active

• ह: indeed
• ह: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) = emphatic particle

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How successive elements retain prior tanmātras while producing new ones

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Primary

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Vāyu (touch-principle) envelops rūpa-tanmātra, and tejas, transforming further, generates rasa-tanmātra (taste), showing cumulative causality.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Use the ‘envelopment’ idea to observe how later experiences contain earlier impressions; practice mindfulness to disentangle layered sensory conditioning.

Vishishtadvaita: Cumulative evolution supports a world that is real as a mode (prakāra) of the Supreme, structured and intelligible rather than illusory chaos.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Vāyu
• Jyotis (Tejas/Agni)
• Tanmātras (sparśa, rūpa, rasa)

FAQs

What is the significance of tanmātras (subtle elements) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse shows the ordered emergence of subtle principles—touch, form, and taste—demonstrating how creation proceeds stepwise from finer potentials to more determinate qualities under cosmic law.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the progression of elements in creation?

Parāśara presents a sequential transformation: Vāyu (touch) conditions the emergence/coverage of rūpa-tanmātra, and then Jyotis (fire) transforms further to generate rasa-tanmātra, illustrating a causal chain in Sarga.

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

Even when the verse names elemental forces, the Vishnu Purana frames their evolution as occurring within the Supreme’s sovereignty—creation is not random, but governed by the highest Reality identified with Vishnu.