Shloka 11

प्रह्लादस्य विष्णुमयता, विष्णोः दर्शनं, वरदानं, तथा चरितश्रवण-फलम्

Devanagari script

करालसौम्यरूपात्मन् विद्याविद्यामयाच्युत सदसद्रूपसद्भाव सदसद्भावभावन

Transliteration

karālasaumyarūpātman vidyāvidyāmayācyuta sadasadrūpasadbhāva sadasadbhāvabhāvana

Translation

O Acyuta, whose very Self appears as both the terrible and the gentle, You are the essence of knowledge and of ignorance. You are the reality abiding as being and non-being, and You are the One who brings forth and governs the very notions of being and non-being.

Word by Word

• कराल: terrible, fierce
• कराल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कराल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; विशेषण (vocative masc. sg.)

• सौम्य: gentle, auspicious
• सौम्य: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; विशेषण (vocative masc. sg.)

• रूप: form
• रूप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• आत्मन्: O one whose essence is (that) form
• आत्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—रूपात्मन् = रूपस्य आत्मा (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• विद्या: knowledge
• विद्या: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• अविद्या: ignorance
• अविद्या: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविद्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• मय: consisting of knowledge and ignorance
• मय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मय (प्रत्ययान्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—विद्याविद्यामय = विद्या च अविद्या च ताभ्यां मयः (द्वन्द्व + मयट् ‘consisting of’)

• अच्युत: O Acyuta (the unfailing one)
• अच्युत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अच्युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; नाम (epithet)

• सत्: being, real
• सत्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग

• असत्: non-being, unreal
• असत्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग

• रूप: form
• रूप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग

• सद्भाव: O reality/existence of the forms of being and non-being
• सद्भाव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सद्भाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—सदसद्रूपसद्भाव = सत्-असत्-रूपस्य सद्भावः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• सत्: being
• सत्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग

• असत्: non-being
• असत्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग

• भाव: state, becoming
• भाव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग

• भावन: O producer/causer of the states of being and non-being
• भावन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—सदसद्भावभावन = सत्-असत्-भावस्य भावनः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (addressing Lord Vishnu) in a doxological passage within his teaching to Maitreya

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Nature of Bhagavan as the ground of both manifest and unmanifest, and the paradox of being/non-being

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Vishnu (Acyuta) is the transcendent ground in which opposites—terrible/gentle, knowledge/ignorance, being/non-being—are comprehended and governed.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Contemplate the Divine as present in all polarities without reducing Him to any single attribute; cultivate equanimity when faced with contradiction.

Vishishtadvaita: Affirms Bhagavan as the controller (antaryāmin) of both cit and acit, with all contraries resting in His sovereignty without collapsing His transcendence.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu (Acyuta)

FAQs

What is the significance of ‘vidyā’ and ‘avidyā’ in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents Vishnu as the ultimate ground of both liberating knowledge (vidyā) and the power that veils it (avidyā), indicating that cosmic experience and liberation both occur under His sovereignty.

How does Sage Parāśara explain sat and asat (being and non-being)?

Here sat/asat are treated as categories that arise in relation to manifestation; Parāśara praises Vishnu as the true reality underlying both the manifest (sat) and what is unmanifest or negated (asat), as well as the cause of these conceptual distinctions.

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

Vishnu is affirmed as the Supreme Reality (Para Brahman): simultaneously transcendent and immanent—capable of fierce and gentle modes—while remaining the controller and sustainer of cosmic order and all states of knowing.