Shloka 6

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

Devanagari script

पतत्रिणां च गरुडं देवानाम् अपि वासवम् उच्चैःश्रवसम् अश्वानां वृषभं तु गवाम् अपि

Transliteration

patatriṇāṃ ca garuḍaṃ devānām api vāsavam uccaiḥśravasam aśvānāṃ vṛṣabhaṃ tu gavām api

Translation

Among birds, He is Garuḍa; among the gods, He is Vāsava (Indra). Among horses, He is Uccaiḥśravas; and among cattle, He is the bull—thus the Supreme Lord is known through the highest excellence in every order of life.

Word by Word

• पतत्रिणाम्: of birds
• पतत्रिणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पतत्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• गरुडम्: Garuḍa
• गरुडम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गरुड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Emphasis/Addition (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (also)

• वासवम्: Vāsava (Indra)
• वासवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• उच्चैःश्रवसम्: Uccaiḥśravas
• उच्चैःश्रवसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उच्चैःश्रवस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—बहुव्रीहिः (उच्चैः श्रवः यस्य सः—‘loud-famed’)

• अश्वानाम्: of horses
• अश्वानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• वृषभम्: the bull
• वृषभम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• तु: and/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/विशेषणार्थ—however/indeed)

• गवाम्: of cows
• गवाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Emphasis/Addition (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (also)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Excellence (śreṣṭhatva) as a sign of the Supreme’s ordinance across species and classes

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Secondary

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Supreme is inferred through the summit of excellence in each class—Garuḍa among birds, Indra among devas, Uccaiḥśravas among horses, and the bull among cattle—inviting reverent recognition of divine order in the world.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate devotional seeing (īśvara-darśana): perceive the Lord’s ordinance through noble qualities—strength, service, purity, and leadership—without arrogance or exploitation.

Vishishtadvaita: The world’s graded excellences are real attributes within the Lord’s body; recognizing them becomes a mode of bhakti rather than mere aesthetics.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuḍa
• Indra (Vāsava)
• Uccaiḥśravas

FAQs

What is the significance of vibhūtis (divine manifestations) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse teaches that Vishnu’s supremacy is understood by perceiving Him as the foremost excellence within each realm—bird, god, horse, and cattle—revealing divine sovereignty through cosmic archetypes.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Lord’s presence in the world through this chapter?

Parāśara presents a catalog of “best among” beings to show that the Supreme Lord pervades and governs creation by expressing Himself as the highest power, strength, or splendor in each category.

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

Vishnu is affirmed as the Supreme Reality whose immanence is not abstract but intelligible through ordered hierarchies—He is the inner source of greatness in both divine and earthly domains.