Shloka 22
मेरु-प्रमाणम्, सप्त-पाताल-वर्णनम्, तथा अनन्त-शेष-तत्त्वम्
यस्यैषा सकला पृथ्वी फणामणिशिखारुणा आस्ते कुसुममालेव कस् तद्वीर्यं वदिष्यति
yasyaiṣā sakalā pṛthvī phaṇāmaṇiśikhāruṇā āste kusumamāleva kas tadvīryaṃ vadiṣyati
He upon whom this entire Earth rests—glowing red with the radiance of the jewels upon the hoods of the serpent—like a garland of flowers laid upon a body: who could ever fully declare the measure of His might?
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Poetic magnification of Śeṣa’s power through the image of earth as a garland upon his jewel-lit hoods.
Teaching: Devotional
Quality: compassionate
Concept: The earth rests upon Ananta’s jewel-bright hoods like a garland, and his power is beyond complete articulation.
Vedantic Theme: Brahman
Application: Use sacred imagery (dhyāna) to deepen reverence: visualize the world upheld by the divine to cultivate gratitude and surrender.
Vishishtadvaita: The cosmos is an ornament upon the divine—real, dependent, and meaningful—supporting the Viśiṣṭādvaita view of the world as God’s mode (prakāra) upheld by him.
Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)
Bhakti Type: Shanta (peaceful)
Vyuha Form: Sankarshana
Lakshmi Presence: Bhumi (earth)
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse uses the image of Earth resting on the jeweled hoods of the cosmic serpent to convey that the universe is sustained by a divine, ordered support ultimately rooted in Vishnu’s sovereignty.
By declaring that no one can truly ‘describe’ (vadiṣyati) His vīrya, Parāśara frames Vishnu’s greatness as beyond complete speech or measure, even while giving a vivid cosmological symbol.
Vishnu is presented as the Supreme Reality whose might underlies cosmic stability—an affirmation central to Vaishnava theology where the world’s order depends on the Lord’s sustaining power.