Shloka 14

Devanagari script

नमस् ते परमात्मात्मन् पुरुषात्मन् नमो ऽस्तु ते प्रधानव्यक्तभूताय कालभूताय ते नमः

Transliteration

namas te paramātmātman puruṣātman namo 'stu te pradhānavyaktabhūtāya kālabhūtāya te namaḥ

Translation

Salutations to You, O Ātman of the Supreme Ātman, O Ātman of the Cosmic Person. Homage to You. Salutations to You who have become Pradhāna and the manifest world; salutations to You who have become Time itself.

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Salutation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (नमः-शब्दः नमस्कारार्थे); indeclinable interjection

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; Dative singular

• परमात्मन्: O Supreme Self
• परमात्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (परमः आत्मा), पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; Vocative singular

• पुरुषात्मन्: O Self as the Person (Puruṣa)
• पुरुषात्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (पुरुषः आत्मा), पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; Vocative singular

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Salutation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (नमस्कारार्थे); indeclinable

• अस्तु: may it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Imperative/benedictive sense: 'let it be'

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; Dative singular

• प्रधानव्यक्तभूताय: to (you) who are Pradhāna, the manifest, and beings
• प्रधानव्यक्तभूताय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रधान + व्यक्त + भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (प्रधान-व्यक्त-भूत: 'as Pradhāna and the manifest and beings'), पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; Dative singular

• कालभूताय: to (you) who are Time
• कालभूताय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल + भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (काल-भूत: 'as Time'), पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; Dative singular

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; Dative singular

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Salutation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (नमस्कारार्थे); indeclinable

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya; voiced as a hymn of praise to Vishnu/Nārāyaṇa)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Identification of the Supreme with pradhāna, the manifest (vyakta), and kāla

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord is praised as Paramātman and Puruṣātman, who becomes pradhāna (primordial nature), the manifest cosmos, and even time—without ceasing to be supreme.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Meditate on the Lord as present both beyond the world and as its governing principles (nature and time), fostering reverence and steadiness amid change.

Vishishtadvaita: Supports qualified non-dualism by affirming real transformation as modes (prakāras) of the Supreme—prakṛti and kāla are dependent realities under His sovereignty.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Pradhana (Prakriti)
• Time (Kala)

FAQs

What is the significance of Pradhāna and Vyakta in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse identifies Vishnu as the reality underlying both primordial Nature (Pradhāna) and the manifest cosmos (Vyakta), presenting creation as dependent on the Supreme rather than independent.

How does Sage Parāśara explain Time (Kāla) in this context?

By praising Vishnu as “having become Time,” Parāśara frames Kāla as a divine power/form that regulates manifestation, transformation, and dissolution under the Lord’s sovereignty.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Vishnu is praised as Paramātman and the Self of the cosmic Person, implying He is the supreme ground of all categories—Nature, the world, and Time—central to Vaishnava metaphysics.