Shloka 23
मेरु-प्रमाणम्, सप्त-पाताल-वर्णनम्, तथा अनन्त-शेष-तत्त्वम्
यदा विजृम्भते ऽनन्तो मदाघूर्णितलोचनः तदा चलति भूर् एषा साद्रितोया सकानना
yadā vijṛmbhate 'nanto madāghūrṇitalocanaḥ tadā calati bhūr eṣā sādritoyā sakānanā
Whenever Ananta stirs—his eyes rolling as though intoxicated with his own immeasurable power—then this Earth begins to tremble: with her mountains and waters, with all her forests, the whole world is set in motion.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The cosmic consequence of Ananta’s movement—earthquakes and the stirring of mountains, waters, and forests.
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
Concept: When Ananta stirs, the entire earth—mountains, waters, and forests—trembles, showing nature’s dependence on deeper cosmic supports.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: In upheaval, remember contingency: stability is not self-made; cultivate inner steadiness through remembrance of the divine ground of being.
Vishishtadvaita: Natural events are not merely mechanical; they occur within a divinely sustained order, where cosmic supports are personal manifestations under the Lord’s sovereignty.
Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)
Vyuha Form: Sankarshana
Lakshmi Presence: Bhumi (earth)
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse presents Ananta as a cosmic support: when he stirs, the entire Earth—mountains, waters, and forests—trembles, showing that worldly stability depends on higher cosmic principles.
Parāśara attributes terrestrial shaking to the movement of Ananta beneath the world, framing earthquakes as part of the Purāṇic model of cosmic mechanics and order.
Ananta is inseparable from Vishnu’s cosmic function; the verse implies that even the Earth’s motion occurs within Vishnu-governed order, emphasizing supreme sovereignty over the physical universe.