Shloka 33

सोमचक्रः, ग्रह-रथाः, ध्रुवबन्धनं, शिशुमारसंनिवेशः, विष्णु-सर्वात्मकता

Moon, Planets, Dhruva-Tethering, Śiśumāra, and Vishnu as All

Devanagari script

शिश्नं संवत्सरस् तस्य मित्रो ऽपानं समाश्रितः

Transliteration

śiśnaṃ saṃvatsaras tasya mitro 'pānaṃ samāśritaḥ

Translation

In that cosmic Person, the generative organ is the Year itself; and Mitra abides presiding over the downward-moving vital breath, Apāna.

Word by Word

• शिश्नम्: the penis
• शिश्नम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिश्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; यहाँ प्रथमा (सम्बन्ध-वर्णन)

• संवत्सरः: the year (Saṃvatsara)
• संवत्सरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• तस्य: of it / of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• मित्रः: Mitra
• मित्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अपानम्: apāna (downward vital breath)
• अपानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• समाश्रितः: has resorted to / is seated in
• समाश्रितः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे विशेषणवत्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How time (saṃvatsara) and prāṇa-functions correspond to limbs and deities within the cosmic Person

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Time (the Year) and life-breath functions are not inert forces but ordered divine powers within the cosmic Person, presided over by deities such as Mitra.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Use breath-awareness and time-discipline (daily/seasonal observances) as a form of reverent alignment with cosmic order.

Vishishtadvaita: Shows the world’s functions (kāla, prāṇa) as modes/attributes within the Lord’s body, supporting qualified non-dualism rather than an isolated, world-negating absolute.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)

Bhakti Type: Shanta (peaceful)

Antaryamin: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Mitra
• Apāna
• Saṃvatsara (the Year/Time-cycle)

FAQs

What is the significance of Saṃvatsara (the Year) in the Vishnu Purana’s body-cosmos mapping?

This verse treats the yearly cycle as a cosmic principle embodied as a limb, showing that time is not merely measured but is a governing power expressed through the cosmic person.

How does Sage Parāśara explain Apāna in this context?

Parāśara presents Apāna as a specific vital current with a divine regulator—Mitra—indicating that physiological functions mirror a higher cosmic order and discipline.

What is the theological importance of this verse for Vaishnava cosmology?

By linking bodily functions and time to divine presences, the text implies a universe permeated by supreme governance—where embodied life participates in a Vishnu-ordered reality rather than existing as a merely material mechanism.