Shloka 61

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

Devanagari script

स परः सर्वशक्तीनां ब्रह्मणः समनन्तरः मूर्तं ब्रह्म महाभाग सर्वब्रह्ममयो हरिः

Transliteration

sa paraḥ sarvaśaktīnāṃ brahmaṇaḥ samanantaraḥ mūrtaṃ brahma mahābhāga sarvabrahmamayo hariḥ

Translation

He is the Supreme—the source behind all powers, not other than Brahman. O noble one, Hari is Brahman made manifest in form, in whom all that is called ‘Brahman’ is wholly present and pervading.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• परः: supreme
• परः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण

• सर्वशक्तीनाम्: of all powers
• सर्वशक्तीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सर्वाः शक्तयः)

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

• समनन्तरः: immediately following; contiguous
• समनन्तरः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण

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

• ब्रह्म: Brahman
• ब्रह्म: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominal/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• महाभाग: O fortunate one
• महाभाग: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + भाग (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महान् भागः यस्य/महाभागः)

• सर्वब्रह्ममयः: consisting of all Brahman; all-pervaded by Brahman
• सर्वब्रह्ममयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + ब्रह्मन् + मय (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सर्वं ब्रह्म यस्य/येन मयः)

• हरिः: Hari (Vishnu)
• हरिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Identity of Hari with Brahman and His supremacy as the source of all powers.

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Hari is the supreme source of all powers, not other than Brahman, and is Brahman manifest—fully pervaded by all that ‘Brahman’ denotes.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Unite philosophical conviction (Brahman) with personal devotion (Hari) by worship and contemplation of the Lord’s attributes as ultimate reality.

Vishishtadvaita: Strongly supports Vishishtadvaita: Brahman is personal (Hari) and possesses real auspicious attributes (sarva-śakti), not an attribute-less abstraction.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Vyuha Form: Vasudeva

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Vishnu)
• Brahman

FAQs

What is the significance of calling Hari “mūrtaṃ brahma” in the Vishnu Purana?

It presents Vishnu as Brahman not merely as an abstract absolute but as the same Supreme Reality manifest with form—making devotion and divine sovereignty philosophically grounded.

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

By using “samanantaraḥ,” he indicates immediacy and non-separation: Vishnu is not a secondary deity beneath Brahman, but Brahman’s own supreme presence and basis of all powers.

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

Vishnu is affirmed as the Supreme who contains and pervades all reality (“sarva-brahma-mayaḥ”), aligning Vaishnava cosmology with a robust doctrine of the Absolute.