Shloka 36

मानससृष्टिः, रुद्रोत्पत्तिः, मन्वादिवंशः, प्रलयचतुष्टयम्

Devanagari script

सर्गस्थितिविनाशांश् च भगवान् मधुसूदनः तैस् तै रूपैर् अचिन्त्यात्मा करोत्य् अव्याहतान् विभुः

Transliteration

sargasthitivināśāṃś ca bhagavān madhusūdanaḥ tais tai rūpair acintyātmā karoty avyāhatān vibhuḥ

Translation

The Blessed Lord Madhusūdana, whose inner nature is beyond thought, assumes manifold forms and, as the all-pervading Sovereign, brings about creation, preservation, and dissolution without impediment.

Word by Word

• सर्गस्थितिविनाशान्: creation, maintenance, and destruction (aspects)
• सर्गस्थितिविनाशान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्ग + स्थिति + विनाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (सर्गः च स्थितिः च विनाशः च)

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

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

• मधुसूदनः: Madhusūdana (slayer of Madhu)
• मधुसूदनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु + सूदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मधोः सूदनः)

• तैः: by those
• तैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• तैः: by those (various)
• तैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; पुनरुक्ति-बल (emphatic repetition)

• रूपैः: forms
• रूपैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• अचिन्त्यात्मा: of inconceivable nature
• अचिन्त्यात्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अचिन्त्य + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (अचिन्त्यः आत्मा यस्य)

• करोति: does/makes
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अव्याहतान्: unimpeded
• अव्याहतान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + व्याहत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (ppp) 'unobstructed/undiminished'

• विभुः: the all-pervading one
• विभुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Ultimate agent behind creation, preservation, and dissolution; how these occur without obstruction

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Kalpa

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Madhusūdana, the inconceivable and all-pervading Lord, performs creation, maintenance, and dissolution through manifold forms, unobstructed by any limitation.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Cultivate steady devotion and trust (śraddhā) that the divine governance operates beyond human calculation, reducing anxiety about change and loss.

Vishishtadvaita: Strongly supports the Lord as both efficient and material cause, immanent (all-pervading/antaryāmin) yet transcendent (acintya-ātmā).

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the significance of sarga, sthiti, and vināśa in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse states that creation, preservation, and dissolution are all functions of Bhagavān Vishnu, who carries them out through diverse forms as part of the cosmic cycle.

How does Sage Parāśara explain Vishnu’s role in universal order?

Parāśara presents Vishnu as vibhu—all-pervading and sovereign—whose actions in the cosmos are ‘avyāhata,’ meaning they proceed without obstruction or dependency.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu being called acintyātmā here?

It emphasizes that Vishnu’s essential nature transcends ordinary thought, while still being the personal Lord (Bhagavān) who actively manifests forms to govern the universe.