Shloka 19

Cosmic Appointments, Viṣṇu’s Vibhūtis, Fourfold Operation, and the Symbolism of Ornaments and Weapons

Devanagari script

न हि पालनसामर्थ्यम् ऋते सर्वेश्वरं हरिम् स्थितौ स्थितं महाप्राज्ञ भवत्य् अन्यस्य कस्यचित्

Transliteration

na hi pālanasāmarthyam ṛte sarveśvaraṃ harim sthitau sthitaṃ mahāprājña bhavaty anyasya kasyacit

Translation

O great-minded one, apart from Hari, the Lord of all, none has the power to sustain; in preservation itself, He alone stands established.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (particle nuance)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• pālanasāmarthyam: ability to protect
• pālanasāmarthyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pālana + sāmarthya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (pālanasya sāmarthyam = power of protection) समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ṛte: without
• ṛte: Apādāna (Ablative sense/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ṛte (अव्यय)
• Form: उपपद-अव्यय (preposition-like indeclinable) = 'without/except'; governs Ablative (पञ्चमी)

• sarveśvaram: the Lord of all
• sarveśvaram: Karma (Object of 'ṛte' in sense; governed complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (sarveṣām īśvaraḥ = lord of all) समास; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• harim: Hari
• harim: Karma (Object/complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; sarveśvaram इति विशेष्य-समनाधिकरण

• sthitau: in preservation
• sthitau: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthiti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• sthitam: established, present
• sthitam: Viśeṣaṇa (adjectival to subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle from √sthā), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; pālanasāmarthyam इति विशेषण

• mahāprājña: O great wise one
• mahāprājña: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + prājña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय समास; पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• bhavati: exists, occurs
• bhavati: Kriya (verbal predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• anyasya: of another
• anyasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• kasyacit: of anyone whatsoever
• kasyacit: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; चित्-प्रत्यय (indefinite)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Who truly has the power of sustenance (pālana) in the cosmos

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: No being apart from Hari, the Sarveśvara, possesses the real capacity to sustain the world; preservation rests in Him alone.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Shift reliance from contingent supports (status, power, intermediaries) to steady remembrance and surrender to the Lord as the true upholder.

Vishishtadvaita: Establishes absolute dependence (śeṣatva) of all beings on the Lord for their very continuance, a key Viśiṣṭādvaita intuition.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Sarveshvara (Supreme Lord)

FAQs

What is the significance of ‘sthiti’ (preservation) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse states that preservation is not an independent cosmic process; it is upheld solely by Hari (Vishnu), establishing Him as the indispensable sustainer of the world-order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine sovereignty in this passage?

Parāśara emphasizes exclusivity: without Sarveśvara Hari, no other entity has the real capacity to maintain the cosmos—showing that all sustaining power ultimately belongs to Vishnu.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Vishnu is presented as the Supreme Lord whose presence alone makes cosmic stability possible, aligning with Vaishnava philosophy where the universe depends on the Lord’s sustaining will.