Shloka 15
प्रह्लादस्य विष्णुमयता, विष्णोः दर्शनं, वरदानं, तथा चरितश्रवण-फलम्
ससंभ्रमस् तम् आलोक्य समुत्थायाकुलाक्षरम् नमो ऽस्तु विष्णवैत्य् एतद् व्याजहारासकृद् द्विज
sasaṃbhramas tam ālokya samutthāyākulākṣaram namo 'stu viṣṇavaity etad vyājahārāsakṛd dvija
Seeing Him, he was seized with reverent agitation; rising at once, his voice broken and his syllables confused, he repeatedly uttered, “Homage to Viṣṇu!” O twice-born one.
Primary narrator: Sage Parāśara (to Maitreya); within the scene, an unnamed devotee/observer speaks the salutation “namo 'stu viṣṇave”.
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The devotee’s embodied response to divine darśana—tremor, rising, broken speech, repeated namaḥ
Teaching: Devotional
Quality: compassionate
Concept: True encounter with the Divine evokes spontaneous humility—reverent agitation, loss of composure, and repeated surrender in the simple utterance of ‘namo’ to Vishnu.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Let devotion be embodied and sincere: cultivate humility, allow emotion to soften ego, and use simple nāma-smarana when words fail.
Vishishtadvaita: Models śeṣatva (servanthood): the jīva’s natural stance is humble dependence, expressed through repeated namaskāra and nāma.
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Dasya
FAQs
In this verse it functions as an immediate, instinctive act of surrender—an acknowledgement of Vishnu’s supreme lordship that arises the moment the devotee encounters the divine presence.
By emphasizing involuntary bodily and verbal reactions—standing up in haste, faltering speech, and repeated remembrance—Parāśara presents bhakti as a natural overflow of reverence rather than a merely formal ritual.
Vishnu is treated as the supreme object of refuge and worship: even a brief vision of him compels repeated homage, underscoring his status as the highest reality and sovereign of cosmic order.