Shloka 59

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

Devanagari script

सर्वशक्तिमयो विष्णुः स्वरूपं ब्रह्मणो ऽपरम् मूर्तं यद् योगिभिः पूर्वं योगारम्भेषु चिन्त्यते

Transliteration

sarvaśaktimayo viṣṇuḥ svarūpaṃ brahmaṇo 'param mūrtaṃ yad yogibhiḥ pūrvaṃ yogārambheṣu cintyate

Translation

Vishnu is the very embodiment of all powers—the unsurpassed essential nature of Brahman. At the commencement of yoga, the yogins first contemplate His manifest, tangible form.

Word by Word

• सर्वशक्तिमयः: consisting of all powers
• सर्वशक्तिमयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + शक्ति + मय (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सर्वशक्तिभिः/सर्वशक्तीनां मयः = शक्तिमयः)

• विष्णुः: Vishnu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• स्वरूपम्: the essential form
• स्वरूपम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominal/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahman
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• अपरम्: non-other; not different
• अपरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• मूर्तम्: embodied; with form
• मूर्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• योगिभिः: by yogins
• योगिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• पूर्वम्: formerly; first
• पूर्वम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-नपुंसक-एकवचन-प्रयोगः)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• योगारम्भेषु: at the beginnings of yoga
• योगारम्भेषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग + आरम्भ (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (योगस्य आरम्भः)

• चिन्त्यते: is contemplated
• चिन्त्यते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चिन्त् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Why yogins begin meditation with a manifest support and how Vishnu relates to Brahman.

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Vishnu, the plenitude of powers, is the unsurpassed Brahman-nature and serves as the concrete object of yogic contemplation at the outset.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Begin spiritual practice with a personal, form-based focus (name/form/qualities) to steady the mind before subtler contemplation.

Vishishtadvaita: Identifies Brahman with a personal, power-filled Vishnu whose form is a legitimate (and primary) support for yoga, not a lower provisional fiction.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Vyuha Form: Vasudeva

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Brahman

FAQs

What is the significance of meditating on Vishnu’s mūrta (manifest) form at the start of yoga in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents form-meditation as the natural first support for concentration, grounding the yogin in the Supreme Reality (Vishnu) before subtler realization.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the relationship between Vishnu and Brahman here?

Parāśara identifies Vishnu as the unsurpassed essential nature of Brahman—Brahman is not abstractly separate, but fulfilled as Vishnu endowed with all powers.

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

Vishnu is affirmed as the supreme, all-powerful ground of existence, making devotion and yogic contemplation of Him a direct approach to the highest principle.