Shloka 12

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

Devanagari script

नित्यानित्य प्रपञ्चात्मन् निष्प्रपञ्चामलाश्रय एकानेक नमस् तुभ्यं वासुदेवादिकारण

Transliteration

nityānitya prapañcātman niṣprapañcāmalāśraya ekāneka namas tubhyaṃ vāsudevādikāraṇa

Translation

Salutations to You, O Vāsudeva—the primal Cause—who are the very Self of the world of the eternal and the transient, yet whose stainless refuge stands beyond all manifestation; You who are at once the One and also the many.

Word by Word

• नित्य: eternal
• नित्य: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; विशेषण

• अनित्य: non-eternal
• अनित्य: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; विशेषण

• प्रपञ्च: manifest world, expansion
• प्रपञ्च: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रपञ्च (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग

• आत्मन्: O one whose essence is the world
• आत्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—प्रपञ्चात्मन् = प्रपञ्चस्य आत्मा (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• निष्प्रपञ्च: free from manifestation
• निष्प्रपञ्च: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्प्रपञ्च (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; विशेषण

• अमल: stainless, pure
• अमल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग

• आश्रय: O pure refuge/support
• आश्रय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—अमलाश्रय = अमलः आश्रयः (कर्मधारय)

• एक: one
• एक: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; विशेषण

• अनेक: many
• अनेक: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; विशेषण

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Prayojana/Discourse (Salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात), नमस्कारार्थक (indeclinable interjection ‘salutation’)

• तुभ्यम्: to you
• तुभ्यम्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (4/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन (dat. sg.)

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

• आदि: and the rest; beginning
• आदि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्राय (समासोपपद), ‘आदि’ = etc./beginning; समासाङ्ग

• कारण: O cause (of Vāsudeva and the rest / of all beginnings)
• कारण: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—वासुदेवादिकारण = वासुदेवस्य आदिः (वा वासुदेव-आदि) यस्य तत् कारणम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-समासार्थ)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (addressing Vāsudeva/Vishnu within a doctrinal hymn, in dialogue context with Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How Vāsudeva can be both immanent in the world-process and yet the stainless refuge beyond manifestation

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Vāsudeva is the primal cause: the Self of the manifest prapañca (nitya-anitya) while remaining the stainless support beyond all manifestation, simultaneously one and many.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Hold together devotion to the personal Lord with metaphysical clarity: see the world as His body while taking refuge in His unconditioned reality through mantra and surrender.

Vishishtadvaita: Strongly supports śarīra-śarīrī-bhāva: the many (world and souls) are real modes dependent on the One, who remains their pure āśraya.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Vasudeva

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Vyuha Form: Vasudeva

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the significance of calling Vishnu both ‘of the universe’ and ‘beyond the universe’ in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents Vishnu as simultaneously immanent (the essence of the manifested world) and transcendent (stainless and beyond manifestation), grounding creation in a Supreme Reality that is not limited by it.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the idea of ‘one and many’ (eka-aneka) here?

Parāśara praises Vāsudeva as the One who remains singular in essence while appearing as the many forms of the cosmos—supporting a nondual-theistic vision where multiplicity depends on the Supreme.

What is the theological importance of Vāsudeva being called ādi-kāraṇa (primal cause) in this context?

It affirms Vishnu as the ultimate source and controller of both the eternal principles and the transient world-process, establishing divine sovereignty at the root of cosmology and devotion.