Shloka 40

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

Devanagari script

गत्वा गत्वा निवर्तन्ते चन्द्रसूर्यादयो ग्रहाः अद्यापि न निवर्तन्ते द्वादशाक्षरचिन्तकाः

Transliteration

gatvā gatvā nivartante candrasūryādayo grahāḥ adyāpi na nivartante dvādaśākṣaracintakāḥ

Translation

Again and again the Moon, the Sun, and the other heavenly bodies go forth and return to their courses; but those who contemplate Vishnu’s Twelve‑Syllabled Name do not return—they move toward the Supreme, beyond all turning back.

Word by Word

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), धातु: गम्; क्रियाविशेषणभावः (adverbial to main verb)

• गत्वा: having gone again and again
• गत्वा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), धातु: गम्; पुनरुक्ति (repetition for emphasis)

• निवर्तन्ते: they return
• निवर्तन्ते: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि+वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद; धातु: वृत् (to turn) उपसर्ग: नि

• चन्द्रसूर्यादयः: the moon, sun, and others
• चन्द्रसूर्यादयः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र + सूर्य + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः: चन्द्र-सूर्य-आदयः (ādi = 'and others')

• ग्रहाः: planets (celestial bodies)
• ग्रहाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• अद्यापि: even today / still
• अद्यापि: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• निवर्तन्ते: they return
• निवर्तन्ते: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि+वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद

• द्वादशाक्षरचिन्तकाः: contemplators of the twelve-syllable (mantra)
• द्वादशाक्षरचिन्तकाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादश + अक्षर + चिन्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः: द्वादश-अक्षर-चिन्तकाः (those who contemplate the twelve-syllabled [mantra])

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Fate of beings after death; difference between cyclic heavenly motion and irreversible liberation through Vishnu-mantra

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Contemplation of the twelve-syllabled Vishnu-mantra leads beyond cyclic return, unlike celestial bodies that perpetually recur in their courses.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Adopt steady daily japa and smaraṇa of the dvādaśākṣarī with ethical living, aiming at inner detachment from repetitive worldly cycles.

Vishishtadvaita: Liberation is attained by loving contemplation of the Supreme Person (Nārāyaṇa), whose transcendence grants apunarāvṛtti while remaining the goal of devotion.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu (Vāsudeva)
• Chandra (Moon)
• Surya (Sun)
• Grahas (celestial bodies)

FAQs

What is the significance of the Dvādaśākṣarī (twelve-syllable) mantra in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse elevates contemplation of the twelve-syllabled Vishnu-mantra as a direct means to transcend cyclical return, implying liberation that surpasses even the regular cosmic motions of the Sun and Moon.

How does Sage Parāśara explain freedom from recurring cycles in this chapter?

By contrasting the repetitive ‘going and returning’ of celestial bodies with the non-return of Vishnu-mantra contemplators, Parāśara frames devotion and remembrance of Vāsudeva as the path beyond worldly recurrence.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Vishnu (Vāsudeva) is presented as the Supreme Reality: while the cosmos runs in ordered cycles, devotion to Vishnu leads beyond time-bound order into the state from which there is no return.