Shloka 6

Devanagari script

भवं शर्वम् अथेशानं तथा पशुपतिं द्विज भीमम् उग्रं महादेवम् उवाच स पितामहः

Transliteration

bhavaṃ śarvam atheśānaṃ tathā paśupatiṃ dvija bhīmam ugraṃ mahādevam uvāca sa pitāmahaḥ

Translation

Then Pitāmaha (Brahmā) addressed him as Bhava and Śarva, as Īśāna and Paśupati; O twice-born, he also hailed him as Bhīma, Ugra, and Mahādeva.

Word by Word

• bhavam: Bhava (name)
• bhavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• śarvam: Śarva (name)
• śarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• atha: and then
• atha: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अनन्तरार्थक अव्यय (and then)

• īśānam: Īśāna (name)
• īśānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/तुल्यार्थक अव्यय (likewise)

• paśupatim: Paśupati (lord of beings)
• paśupatim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paśu-pati (प्रातिपदिक; पशु + पति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• dvija: O twice-born
• dvija: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• bhīmam: Bhīma (name)
• bhīmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhīma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ugram: Ugra (name)
• ugram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ugra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• mahādevam: Mahādeva (the great god)
• mahādevam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-deva (प्रातिपदिक; महा + देव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said; named
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्, धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• pitāmahaḥ: the grandsire (Brahmā)
• pitāmahaḥ: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating; reporting Brahmā’s address to Rudra/Śiva)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Enumeration of Rudra’s principal names as connoting specific cosmic powers

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Divine names (bhava, śarva, īśāna, paśupati, etc.) indicate distinct modes of lordship and responsibility rather than mere epithets.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Use sacred names as contemplative lenses—each name evokes a virtue (protection, rulership, restraint) to cultivate in one’s own conduct.

Vishishtadvaita: Multiplicity of divine powers is harmonized within a single ordered reality, supporting a qualified unity rather than featureless monism.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Rudra/Śiva (Bhava, Śarva, Īśāna, Paśupati, Bhīma, Ugra, Mahādeva)

FAQs

What is the significance of listing Rudra’s many names in the Vishnu Purana?

The verse uses multiple epithets to show Rudra’s diverse cosmic functions—lordship, guardianship of beings, and fierce transformative power—within the ordered process of creation.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the roles of different deities in creation narratives?

Parāśara typically presents a hierarchy of cosmic administration: Brahmā speaks and assigns functions, while deities like Rudra manifest specific powers—yet the Purana’s broader frame places all such functions within the universal sovereignty of Vishnu.

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

Even when the verse highlights Rudra’s greatness, the Vishnu Purana’s theology treats these powers as part of the cosmos governed by Vishnu as the supreme reality and ultimate ground of order.