Shloka 76

Devanagari script

या विद्या या तथाविद्या यत् सद् यच् चासद् अव्यये तत् सर्वं सर्वभूतेशे मैत्रेय मधुसूदने

Transliteration

yā vidyā yā tathāvidyā yat sad yac cāsad avyaye tat sarvaṃ sarvabhūteśe maitreya madhusūdane

Translation

Whatever is knowledge and whatever appears as ignorance; whatever is real and whatever is unreal—O Maitreya—all of it, without remainder, abides in the Imperishable One, Madhusūdana, Lord of all beings.

Word by Word

• या: which
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• विद्या: knowledge
• विद्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• या: which
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• तथा-विद्या: such knowledge (of that kind)
• तथा-विद्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तथा (अव्यय) + विद्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• सत्: being, the real
• सत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from अस् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक निपात

• असत्: non-being, unreal
• असत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• अव्यये: in the imperishable (one)
• अव्यये: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अव्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• सर्व-भूत-ईशे: in the Lord of all beings
• सर्व-भूत-ईशे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: सर्वभूतानाम् ईशः); पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• मैत्रेय: O Maitreya
• मैत्रेय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• मधु-सूदने: in Madhusūdana (slayer of Madhu)
• मधु-सूदने: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक) + सूदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय/उपपद-तत्पुरुषार्थः: मधुं सूदयति इति); पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: All opposites (vidyā/avidyā, sat/asat) subsist in the imperishable Madhusūdana

Teaching: Philosophical

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: All categories we distinguish—knowledge and ignorance, real and unreal—are comprehended as dependent modes resting in the Imperishable Lord, Madhusūdana.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: When confronted by doubt or dualities, return attention to the Lord as the stable ground of experience; let devotion integrate intellect and humility.

Vishishtadvaita: Dualities are not independent absolutes; they subsist as modes within the Supreme who remains avyaya—supporting a unity that preserves qualified distinctions.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Maitreya
• Vishnu (Madhusūdana)

FAQs

What is the significance of sat (real) and asat (unreal) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

The verse states that both what is truly real and what is only apparently real are grounded in the Imperishable Lord, indicating that all categories of existence are dependent on Vishnu.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Supreme Reality to Maitreya here?

Parāśara identifies Vishnu (Madhusūdana) as the all-containing foundation—within whom knowledge, mistaken knowledge, being, and non-being are comprehended—emphasizing divine sovereignty over all ontological distinctions.

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

Vishnu is presented as Avyaya and Sarva-bhūteśa—the imperishable Lord of all beings—establishing Him as the supreme ground of reality in Vaishnava philosophy.