Shloka 21

मानवसर्गः, चातुर्वर्ण्य-गुणकर्म, यज्ञ-प्रतिपादनम्, आश्रमधर्म-फल, नरकवर्णनम्

Devanagari script

व्रीहयश् च यवाश् चैव गोधूमा अणवस् तिलाः प्रियंगवो ह्य् उदाराश् च कोरदूषाः सतीनकाः

Transliteration

vrīhayaś ca yavāś caiva godhūmā aṇavas tilāḥ priyaṃgavo hy udārāś ca koradūṣāḥ satīnakāḥ

Translation

Rice and barley, wheat, millet (aṇu) and sesame; together with priyaṅgu, the nourishing udāra grain, koradūṣa, and satīnaka—these are reckoned among the sustaining crops by which beings are upheld in the ordered world.

Word by Word

• व्रीहयः: rice grains
• व्रीहयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रीहि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय-बोधक — conjunction

• यवाः: barley
• यवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय-बोधक — conjunction

• एव: indeed, also
• एव: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण — indeclinable particle (emphasis)

• गोधूमाः: wheat
• गोधूमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोधूम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अणवः: aṇava-grain (a kind of millet/pulse)
• अणवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अणु/अणव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तिलाः: sesame seeds
• तिलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• प्रियंगवः: priyaṅgu grain
• प्रियंगवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रियङ्गु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• हि: indeed
• हि: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (कारण/अवधारण) — particle (‘indeed/for’)

• उदाराः: excellent, abundant
• उदाराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उदार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय — conjunction

• कोरदूषाः: koradūṣa grain (a kind of cereal)
• कोरदूषाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोरदूष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सतीनकाः: satīnaka grain (a kind of cereal)
• सतीनकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सतीनक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: What food-grains and sustaining crops were established for beings within the ordered world?

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Secondary

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The ordered world is sustained through anna—specific grains and seeds that support embodied beings as part of the Lord’s provisioning in creation.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Treat food as sacred support: cultivate, share, and consume with gratitude and restraint, recognizing nourishment as a dharmic trust.

Vishishtadvaita: Material nature and its produce are real and purposeful, functioning as the Lord’s body (śarīra) that sustains individual selves.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Jagat Karana: Yes

FAQs

What is the significance of listing grains in the Vishnu Purana?

The verse frames staple crops as instruments of sustenance within a divinely ordered world, showing how material resources participate in maintaining life and dharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the world’s maintenance in this context?

By enumerating essential produce, Parāśara emphasizes that the earth’s provisions are structured and knowable—part of the broader cosmic arrangement that supports beings and society.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purana’s premise is that the stability of the world—including food and livelihood—rests on the Supreme Reality who upholds creation and its sustaining order.