Shloka 21

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

Devanagari script

चतुर्विभागः संसृष्टौ चतुर्धा संस्थितः स्थितौ प्रलयं च करोत्य् अन्ते चतुर्भेदो जनार्दनः

Transliteration

caturvibhāgaḥ saṃsṛṣṭau caturdhā saṃsthitaḥ sthitau pralayaṃ ca karoty ante caturbhedo janārdanaḥ

Translation

In creation Janārdana manifests in a fourfold division; in preservation He abides in four modes; and at the end He brings dissolution—thus His workings are spoken of as fourfold.

Word by Word

• caturvibhāgaḥ: fourfold (in division)
• caturvibhāgaḥ: Karta (Subject/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur + vibhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (caturṇāṃ vibhāgaḥ = fourfold division) समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• saṃsṛṣṭau: in creation
• saṃsṛṣṭau: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃsṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• caturdhā: in four ways
• caturdhā: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: caturdhā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb; 'in four ways')

• saṃsthitaḥ: established, stationed
• saṃsthitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (adjectival to subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃsthita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle from √sthā with saṃ-), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; जनार्दनः इति विशेषण

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

• pralayam: dissolution
• pralayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pralaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• karoti: does, brings about
• karoti: Kriya (verbal predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ante: at the end
• ante: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• caturbhedaḥ: fourfold (in differentiation)
• caturbhedaḥ: Karta (Subject/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur + bheda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (caturṇāṃ bhedaḥ = fourfold differentiation) समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• janārdanaḥ: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• janārdanaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janārdana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Meaning of Janārdana’s ‘fourfold’ manifestation in creation, preservation, and dissolution

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Primary

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Janārdana is described as fourfold in His operations—manifesting in four divisions for creation, abiding in four modes for preservation, and effecting dissolution in a fourfold manner.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Contemplate the Lord’s ordered governance through structured meditations (e.g., fourfold remembrance of His functions/forms) rather than seeing the cosmos as random.

Vishishtadvaita: Supports a Pancharātra-friendly reading where the one Lord expresses ordered plurality (vyūha-like functional differentiation) without compromising unity.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Vyuha Form: Vasudeva

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Janardana

FAQs

What is the significance of the ‘fourfold’ (caturvidha/caturbheda) description in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse highlights that Vishnu’s single supreme lordship expresses itself through four functional modes, especially across creation, preservation, and dissolution—showing ordered sovereignty rather than randomness in cosmic change.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the cosmic process here?

Parāśara frames the universe as operating through recurring phases—sarga (creation), sthiti (maintenance), and pralaya (dissolution)—all enacted by Janārdana, who is described as operating in a fourfold manner within these phases.

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

Vishnu is presented as the ultimate governor of the cosmos: the same Supreme Reality who becomes the cause of origination, the sustaining order, and the final reabsorption—supporting a strongly theistic, Vaishnava metaphysics.