Shloka 8

Devanagari script

तं दृष्ट्वासाधकं सर्गम् अमन्यद् अपरं पुनः

Transliteration

taṃ dṛṣṭvāsādhakaṃ sargam amanyad aparaṃ punaḥ

Translation

Beholding that creation to be ineffectual—unable to fulfill its intended end—he again conceived another mode of emanation.

Word by Word

• तम्: that (creation)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय, अव्ययीभाव-रूपेण) = gerund/absolutive; ‘having seen’

• असाधकम्: ineffective; not accomplishing (the purpose)
• असाधकम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-साधक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्; नञ्-पूर्वकः

• सर्गम्: creation
• सर्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• अमन्यत्: thought; considered
• अमन्यत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• अपरम्: another
• अपरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (implicit object: ‘another (creation)’)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पुनरावृत्तिवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) = adverb ‘again’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Why further creation proceeds after the primary stage; transition to another sarga stream

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Primary

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Perceiving the prior emanation as non-productive of its intended ends, the creator-intelligence initiates a further mode of creation.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: When a method fails to yield its proper fruit, revise the approach without abandoning the goal; spiritual practice likewise requires honest assessment and course-correction.

Vishishtadvaita: Purposefulness (artha) in creation aligns with a personal, intelligent Lord guiding real processes toward ordered ends, not a merely mechanical unfolding.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā (the creator)
• Vishnu (as the Supreme Reality sustaining cosmic order)

FAQs

What is the significance of an 'ineffectual creation' (asādhaka sarga) in the Vishnu Purana?

It signals that creation unfolds in stages; when an initial manifestation cannot serve its intended cosmic function (ordered life, experience, and dharma), the creator proceeds to a further, more workable emanation.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the progression of creation in this context?

Parāśara presents creation as sequential and purposive: observing a stage that does not accomplish its end, the creator conceives another creation so the cosmos can become fit for differentiated beings and ordered activity.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Even when Brahmā is described as adjusting the process of creation, the Vishnu Purana frames cosmic order as ultimately grounded in Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty—creation becomes meaningful and stable through that overarching divine reality.