Shloka 30

Devanagari script

ततो देवासुरपितॄन् मनुष्यांश् च चतुष्टयम् सिसृक्षुर् अम्भांस्य् एतानि स्वम् आत्मानम् अयूयुजत्

Transliteration

tato devāsurapitṝn manuṣyāṃś ca catuṣṭayam sisṛkṣur ambhāṃsy etāni svam ātmānam ayūyujat

Translation

Then, desiring to bring forth the fourfold order—gods, asuras, the ancestral fathers (pitṛs), and humans—he united these waters with his own Self, so that creation might proceed.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: then/thereafter)

• देवासुरपितॄन्: gods, demons, and ancestors
• देवासुरपितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + असुर (प्रातिपदिक) + पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (देवान् च असुरान् च पितॄन् च)

• मनुष्याः: humans
• मनुष्याः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (छान्दस/पौराणिक-प्रयोगे)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• चतुष्टयम्: the group of four
• चतुष्टयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुष्टय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• सिसृक्षुः: desiring to create
• सिसृक्षुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृज् (धातु)
• Form: सन्-प्रत्ययान्त इच्छार्थक कृदन्त (desiderative participle/प्रत्ययान्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अम्भांसि: waters
• अम्भांसि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्भस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• एतानि: these
• एतानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• स्वम्: own
• स्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• आत्मानम्: self
• आत्मानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अयूयुजत्: joined, yoked, connected
• अयूयुजत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Emergence of the four orders (deva/asura/pitṛ/manuṣya) and the role of waters and self-union in generation

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Secondary

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Brahmā, intending differentiated orders of beings, empowers the primordial waters by uniting them with his own selfhood, initiating manifestation.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Recognize intention (saṅkalpa) as potent; align inner resolve with dharma so that one’s ‘creative’ actions become orderly and life-giving.

Vishishtadvaita: Supports immanence: creative potency operates through ‘self-union’ (ātma-yoga) within the cosmic medium, resonating with the Lord as inner controller empowering secondary creation.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Antaryamin: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Asuras
• Pitrs (ancestral fathers)
• Humans (Manushyas)

FAQs

What is the significance of the fourfold group (devas, asuras, pitrs, humans) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames creation as an ordered emergence of four major categories of beings, indicating a structured cosmos where divine, ancestral, human, and opposing powers all have allotted roles within universal governance.

How does Sage Parāśara explain creation through the ‘waters’ (ambhas)?

Parāśara presents the primordial waters as a foundational medium of manifestation; by uniting them with the Self, creation becomes an intentional, inwardly grounded emanation rather than a random material event.

What is the theological importance of the ‘Self’ here in Vaishnava philosophy?

The verse emphasizes that ultimate sovereignty lies in the supreme Self that integrates and directs material principles—aligning creation with a conscious, transcendent source central to Vaishnava cosmology.