Shloka 40

दुर्वासाशापः, क्षीरसागरमन्थनम्, श्रीः (लक्ष्मी) उद्भवः तथा श्रीस्तुतिः

Devanagari script

नारायणम् अणीयांसम् अशेषाणाम् अणीयसाम् समस्तानां गरिष्ठं च भूरादीनां गरीयसाम्

Transliteration

nārāyaṇam aṇīyāṃsam aśeṣāṇām aṇīyasām samastānāṃ gariṣṭhaṃ ca bhūrādīnāṃ garīyasām

Translation

I bow to Nārāyaṇa—subtler than all that is subtle without remainder, and yet greater than all that is great; surpassing even earth and the rest, which are themselves counted among the great.

Word by Word

• नारायणम्: Nārāyaṇa (Vishnu)
• नारायणम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• अणीयांसम्: smaller, subtler
• अणीयांसम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अणीयस् (प्रातिपदिक; तुलनात्मक-विशेषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तुलनात्मक (comparative)

• अशेषाणाम्: of all without remainder
• अशेषाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे (अशेष-शब्दः), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• अणीयसाम्: of the smaller (things)
• अणीयसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अणीयस् (प्रातिपदिक; तुलनात्मक-विशेषण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तुलनात्मक (comparative)

• समस्तानाम्: of all, of the entire
• समस्तानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• गरिष्ठम्: the greatest, heaviest
• गरिष्ठम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गरिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; अतिशय-विशेषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अतिशय (superlative)

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

• भूरादीनाम्: of earth and the rest
• भूरादीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू + आदि (प्रातिपदिक; भूरादि-समूहवाचक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘भू-आदि’ इति समाहार/समूह-निर्देश

• गरीयसाम्: of the heavier/greater (ones)
• गरीयसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गरीयस् (प्रातिपदिक; तुलनात्मक-विशेषण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तुलनात्मक (comparative)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya; hymn-like description of the Supreme Vishnu)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Nārāyaṇa transcends all comparative measures—subtler than the subtlest and greater than the greatest—so He cannot be grasped by material categories.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Contemplate the limits of sensory comparison and turn the mind to the Lord as beyond all measures during japa or silent meditation.

Vishishtadvaita: Affirms the Supreme as immeasurable and unsurpassed, the ontological ground of all magnitudes while remaining distinct from matter.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)

Bhakti Type: Shanta (peaceful)

Characters & Entities

• Narayana
• Earth (Bhumi)

FAQs

What is the significance of describing Nārāyaṇa as “subtler than the subtle” in the Vishnu Purana?

It asserts Vishnu’s transcendence of all measurable subtlety—He is beyond the finest principles of nature and mind, not merely one subtle entity among others.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Supreme Lord’s greatness in this verse?

By pairing two extremes—smaller than all small and greater than all great—Parāśara indicates that Vishnu is the ground of both the unmanifest subtle causes and the manifest cosmic magnitudes.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here for Vaishnava philosophy?

The verse frames Vishnu (Nārāyaṇa) as Para Brahman: the ultimate reality that exceeds the elements (like earth) while still being their source and sovereign support.