Shloka 4

Devanagari script

नारायणः परो ऽचिन्त्यः परेषाम् अपि स प्रभुः ब्रह्मस्वरूपी भगवान् अनादिः सर्वसंभवः

Transliteration

nārāyaṇaḥ paro 'cintyaḥ pareṣām api sa prabhuḥ brahmasvarūpī bhagavān anādiḥ sarvasaṃbhavaḥ

Translation

Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme, beyond thought; even among the highest beings, He alone is Lord. He is Bhagavān, of Brahman-nature, beginningless, the source from whom all arise.

Word by Word

• नारायणः: Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

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

• अचिन्त्यः: inconceivable
• अचिन्त्यः: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अचिन्त्य (कृदन्त; √चिन्त् (धातु) + यत्, नञ्-प्रत्यय: अ-)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण — 'not to be thought of'

• परेषाम्: of others
• परेषाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: सम्बन्ध/निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) — 'also/even'

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

• प्रभुः: Lord
• प्रभुः: कर्ता/विधेय (Predicate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विधेय-नाम (predicate noun)

• ब्रह्मस्वरूपी: having Brahman as his form
• ब्रह्मस्वरूपी: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्म + स्वरूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः स्वरूपम् यस्य)

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अनादिः: beginningless
• अनादिः: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनादि (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्-पूर्वक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण

• सर्वसंभवः: source of all
• सर्वसंभवः: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + संभव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः — 'all-originating/possible from all' (सर्वतः संभवः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Identification of the Supreme principle behind Brahmā and the cosmos.

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Nārāyaṇa alone is the inconceivable Supreme Lord—Brahman in essence—beginningless and the source of all existence.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Anchor worship and meditation in the conviction that the Supreme Person is the ultimate ground of being, beyond all secondary powers.

Vishishtadvaita: Affirms Bhagavān as Brahman (personal yet absolute): the Supreme is not an impersonal void but the Lord who is the source of all.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)

Bhakti Type: Shanta (peaceful)

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Narayana
• Brahman

FAQs

What is the significance of describing Nārāyaṇa as 'acintya' in the Vishnu Purana?

It asserts that the Supreme Lord transcends mental and conceptual limits, so His nature cannot be fully grasped by ordinary thought—supporting a theology where God is knowable through revelation and devotion, yet ultimately beyond complete intellectual capture.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Supreme Reality in this chapter’s teaching?

Parāśara frames Nārāyaṇa as the highest Lord even over the greatest cosmic beings, identifying Him as brahmasvarūpī (of the nature of Brahman), beginningless, and the universal source—establishing the metaphysical foundation before describing creation and cosmic order.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

The verse positions Vishnu/Nārāyaṇa as the ultimate sovereign and the ground of being (Brahman), aligning Vaishnava doctrine with the claim that all creation and authority proceed from Him.