Shloka 31

सप्तद्वीप-समुद्र-प्रमाणम्: प्लक्षादि-द्वीपवर्णनं, लोकालोक-सीमा, चन्द्र-समुद्र-वृद्धिक्षयः

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणाः क्षत्रिया वैश्याः शूद्राश् चैव यजन्ति तम् भगवन्तं समस्तस्य विष्णुम् आत्मानम् अव्ययम् वायुभूतं मखश्रेष्ठैर् यज्विनो यज्ञसंस्थितम्

Transliteration

brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyāḥ śūdrāś caiva yajanti tam bhagavantaṃ samastasya viṣṇum ātmānam avyayam vāyubhūtaṃ makhaśreṣṭhair yajvino yajñasaṃsthitam

Translation

Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śūdras alike worship that Blessed Lord—Viṣṇu, the imperishable Self of all. Present as the very life-breath, He is established in sacrifice, and the foremost sacrificers honour Him through the highest yajñas.

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणाः: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative); बहुवचन (Plural)

• क्षत्रियाः: Kshatriyas
• क्षत्रियाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; बहुवचन

• वैश्याः: Vaishyas
• वैश्याः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैश्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; बहुवचन

• शूद्राः: Shudras
• शूद्राः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; बहुवचन

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

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis)

• यजन्ति: worship/sacrifice to
• यजन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person); बहुवचन

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative); एकवचन

• भगवन्तम्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवन्तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• समस्तस्य: of all/entire
• समस्तस्य: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive); एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• विष्णुम्: Vishnu
• विष्णुम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• आत्मानम्: the Self
• आत्मानम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• अव्ययम्: imperishable
• अव्ययम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier of विष्णुम्/आत्मानम्)

• वायुभूतम्: having become wind / in the form of wind
• वायुभूतम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वायु + भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; (वायु-भूत = वायुरूपः) विशेषण

• मखश्रेष्ठैः: by the best sacrifices
• मखश्रेष्ठैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मख + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental); बहुवचन; (मखानां श्रेष्ठैः)

• यज्विनः: the sacrificers
• यज्विनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; बहुवचन

• यज्ञसंस्थितम्: established in/embodied as sacrifice
• यज्ञसंस्थितम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यज्ञ + संस्थित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; (यज्ञे संस्थितम् = यज्ञरूपेण/यज्ञे प्रतिष्ठितम्) विशेषण

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Sacred geography and the divine presence within regions and their worship

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Viṣṇu, the imperishable Self of all beings, is worshipped through yajña and is present as prāṇa-like indwelling reality.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Integrate devotion into daily duties—see worship as inner offering, and recognize the same Lord in all persons beyond social divisions.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord is both transcendent (avyaya, bhagavān) and immanent as antaryāmin/prāṇa within all, making diverse worship a single God-centered act.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Yajña (sacrificial worship)

FAQs

What is the significance of yajña (sacrifice) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

The verse identifies Vishnu as “yajña-established,” implying that ritual is not merely external action—its true essence and recipient is Vishnu as the inner reality of the sacrifice.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the universality of worship in this context?

By naming all four varnas together, Parāśara frames Vishnu-worship as universal and not restricted to a single social group—Vishnu is the Self of all, therefore accessible through dharmic worship to all.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Vishnu is presented as the imperishable Supreme Self of the entire cosmos and as the indwelling presence within prāṇa and yajña—supporting a theistic metaphysics where the Lord is both transcendent and immanent.