Shloka 16

Devanagari script

नित्यैवैषा जगन्माता विष्णोः श्रीर् अनपायिनी यथा सर्वगतो विष्णुस् तथैवेयं द्विजोत्तम

Transliteration

nityaivaiṣā jaganmātā viṣṇoḥ śrīr anapāyinī yathā sarvagato viṣṇus tathaiveyaṃ dvijottama

Translation

She—Śrī, the Mother of the universe—is eternal indeed, and never departs from Viṣṇu. O best of the twice-born, just as Viṣṇu is all-pervading, so too is She.

Word by Word

• nityā: eternal
• nityā: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; aiṣā इति विशेषण

• eva: indeed
• eva: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• eṣā: this (she)
• eṣā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देश-सर्वनाम (demonstrative pronoun)

• jagat-mātā: mother of the world
• jagat-mātā: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (jagataḥ mātā)

• viṣṇoḥ: of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• śrīḥ: Śrī
• śrīḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• anapāyinī: non-departing, inseparable
• anapāyinī: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-apa-√i (धातु) + -inī (प्रातिपदिक/कृत्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नञ्-उपसर्गयुक्त-विशेषण; śrīḥ इति विशेषण

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Upamāna-link (Correlation/यथा-तथा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/यथार्थ-अव्यय (correlative adverb)

• sarva-gataḥ: all-pervading
• sarva-gataḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (√gam + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (sarvatra gataḥ)

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tathā: so, likewise
• tathā: Upamāna-link (Correlation/तथा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: तदनुरूप-अव्यय (correlative adverb)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• iyam: this (she)
• iyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देश-सर्वनाम

• dvija-uttama: O best of the twice-born
• dvija-uttama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (dvijānām uttamaḥ)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How Śrī can be said to be ‘born’ yet also eternally present with Viṣṇu.

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Śrī, the jagan-mātā, is eternal and inseparable from Viṣṇu, sharing his all-pervasiveness as his śakti.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Cultivate devotion that approaches Nārāyaṇa together with Śrī, seeing divine presence as permeating life’s supports and blessings.

Vishishtadvaita: Affirms inseparable unity of Lord and Śrī (śeṣa-śeṣi and śakti-śaktimān), supporting a personal, qualified non-dualism rather than impersonal monism.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Lakshmi Presence: Sri (fortune)

Antaryamin: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Shri (Lakshmi)
• Maitreya

FAQs

What is the significance of Śrī (Lakṣmī) being called ‘anapāyinī’ in the Vishnu Purana?

It means Śrī never departs from Viṣṇu—she is not a temporary attribute but an eternal, inseparable divine presence tied to his auspicious sovereignty.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the pervasiveness of Śrī alongside Viṣṇu?

Parāśara states that as Viṣṇu is sarvagata (all-pervading), Śrī too is pervading—indicating that auspiciousness, order, and divine prosperity accompany the Supreme everywhere.

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

Viṣṇu is presented as the omnipresent Supreme Reality, and Śrī is affirmed as his eternal, inseparable power—supporting a distinctly Vaiṣṇava vision of divine sovereignty and grace.