Shloka 20

मेरु-प्रमाणम्, सप्त-पाताल-वर्णनम्, तथा अनन्त-शेष-तत्त्वम्

Devanagari script

स बिभ्रच् छेखरीभूतम् अशेषं क्षितिमण्डलम् आस्ते पातालमूलस्थः शेषो ऽशेषसुरार्चितः

Transliteration

sa bibhrac chekharībhūtam aśeṣaṃ kṣitimaṇḍalam āste pātālamūlasthaḥ śeṣo 'śeṣasurārcitaḥ

Translation

There, at the very root of Pātāla, abides Śeṣa—revered by all the gods—bearing the entire sphere of the earth, which rests upon him like a cresting diadem.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular pronoun

• बिभ्रत्: bearing
• बिभ्रत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √भृ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (Present active participle/वर्तमान कृदन्त), परस्मैपद; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘bearing’

• शेखरीभूतम्: made into (his) crest
• शेखरीभूतम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शेखरी-भू (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त: शेखरीभूत)
• Form: भू-धातोः क्त-प्रत्यय (Past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘made into a crest/ornament’

• अशेषम्: entire
• अशेषम्: Karma (Qualifier of object/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular adjective

• क्षितिमण्डलम्: the earth-sphere (terrestrial globe)
• क्षितिमण्डलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षिति + मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘क्षितेः मण्डलम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; Accusative singular

• आस्ते: abides
• आस्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √आस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘sits/abides’

• पातालमूलस्थः: situated at the root of Pātāla
• पातालमूलस्थः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाताल + मूल + स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘पातालस्य मूले स्थितः’ इति सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषभावः; Nominative singular

• शेषः: Śeṣa
• शेषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• अशेषसुरार्चितः: worshipped by all the gods
• अशेषसुरार्चितः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशेष + सुर + अर्चित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (PPP) ‘अर्चित’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘अशेषैः सुरैः अर्चितः’ इति तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः; Nominative singular

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The cosmic support of the earth and the placement of Śeṣa at the root of Pātāla.

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Śeṣa, worshiped by the gods, abides at Pātāla’s root and bears the entire earth-sphere upon himself like a diadem.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate steadiness (dhṛti) by remembering the cosmos is upheld by divine order; let reverence replace anxiety about worldly instability.

Vishishtadvaita: The world’s ‘support’ is personal and divinely grounded—cosmic order rests on the Lord’s power manifest through Śeṣa/Saṅkarṣaṇa, not on inert matter alone.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)

Vyuha Form: Sankarshana

Lakshmi Presence: Bhumi (earth)

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Shesha (Ananta)
• Patala
• Devas (gods)
• Earth (Kshitimanadala)

FAQs

What is the significance of Śeṣa supporting the earth in the Vishnu Purana?

It presents cosmic stability as a divinely sustained order: the earth is not self-supported but upheld by Śeṣa, a sacred principle of endurance and service within Vaishnava cosmology.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the structure beneath the earth (Pātāla) here?

Parāśara places Śeṣa at the very root of Pātāla, implying a foundational layer to the cosmos where the earth’s support is anchored beyond the visible world.

What is the theological importance of Vishnu in this context?

By highlighting Śeṣa—intimately associated with Vishnu—the verse frames cosmic governance as ultimately resting on Vishnu’s supreme reality, expressed through divine agencies that uphold creation.