Shloka 31

रुद्रसर्गः (नीललोहितः), अष्टनाम-स्थान-परिवारः, श्री-नारायणयोः अभेदव्याप्तिः

Devanagari script

नदस्वरूपी भगवाञ् श्रीर् नदीरूपसंस्थिता ध्वजश् च पुण्डरीकाक्षः पताका कमलालया

Transliteration

nadasvarūpī bhagavāñ śrīr nadīrūpasaṃsthitā dhvajaś ca puṇḍarīkākṣaḥ patākā kamalālayā

Translation

The Blessed Lord abides as the very sound and flow of the river; and Śrī (Lakṣmī) is established in the form of the river. Puṇḍarīkākṣa, the Lotus‑eyed, is the banner, and Kamalālayā, the Lotus‑dweller, the pennant.

Word by Word

• नदस्वरूपी: having the form of sound
• नदस्वरूपी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नद (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वरूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ: नदस्य स्वरूपः यस्य (having the form of sound)

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

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

• नदीरूपसंस्थिता: situated in the form of a river
• नदीरूपसंस्थिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नदी + रूप + संस्थित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘संस्थित’ (past participle) + तत्पुरुष: नदीरूपे संस्थिता

• ध्वजः: banner; flag
• ध्वजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• पुण्डरीकाक्षः: lotus-eyed (Viṣṇu)
• पुण्डरीकाक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्डरीक + अक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: पुण्डरीकं इव अक्षी यस्य (lotus-eyed)

• पताका: banner; pennant
• पताका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पताका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कमलालया: lotus-dweller
• कमलालया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कमल + आलया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: कमलस्य आलया (dwelling in a lotus)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Pervasion of Bhagavān and Śrī in natural phenomena and royal/ritual insignia

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Bhagavān is present even as the river’s very ‘sound-form’ and flow, while Śrī abides as its auspicious power; likewise, royal emblems (banner and pennant) are sanctified as expressions of Puṇḍarīkākṣa and Kamalālayā.

Vedantic Theme: Atman

Application: Sanctify ordinary sights—especially flowing water and communal symbols—by mindful recognition of the divine immanence they can signify.

Vishishtadvaita: Immanence is real and positive: the world is a meaningful mode (prakāra) of the Lord, not a mere illusion, hence nature can bear divine presence.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Lakshmi Presence: Sri (fortune)

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Lakshmi (Śrī/Kamalālayā)
• Puṇḍarīkākṣa

FAQs

What is the significance of rivers in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents rivers not merely as geography but as a living locus of divinity—Vishnu pervades their very “sound/flow,” while Lakshmi is said to abide in their river-form, making the sacred river a theological presence as well as a physical one.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine presence in the world here?

Parāśara speaks in the idiom of immanence: Vishnu and Śrī are shown as dwelling within natural forms and royal emblems, indicating that the Supreme is not distant but pervades the manifest order through identifiable supports (rivers, standards, flags).

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

Vishnu is portrayed as the sustaining sovereignty behind both nature and kingship-symbols, while Lakshmi remains inseparable in function and presence—supporting a Vaishnava vision where the Supreme Reality is both transcendent and intimately present in the world.