Shloka 27

लोकसंस्थानम्, ग्रहदूरी-प्रमाणम्, ब्रह्माण्डावरणानि, विष्णोः जगत्कारणत्वम्

Devanagari script

अण्डानां तु सहस्राणां सहस्राण्य् अयुतानि च ईदृशानां तथा तत्र कोटिकोटिशतानि च

Transliteration

aṇḍānāṃ tu sahasrāṇāṃ sahasrāṇy ayutāni ca īdṛśānāṃ tathā tatra koṭikoṭiśatāni ca

Translation

Of such cosmic eggs (brahmāṇḍas) there are thousands upon thousands, tens of thousands besides; indeed, in that immeasurable expanse exist hundreds of crores of crores of universes of the same kind.

Word by Word

• aṇḍānām: of eggs/cosmic spheres
• aṇḍānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (adversative/contrast particle)

• sahasrāṇām: of thousands
• sahasrāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• sahasrāṇi: thousands
• sahasrāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन

• ayutāni: ten-thousands
• ayutāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ayuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन

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

• īdṛśānām: of such (kinds)
• īdṛśānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: īdṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb: 'thus/likewise')

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: 'there')

• koṭikoṭiśatāni: hundreds of crores of crores
• koṭikoṭiśatāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi + koṭi + śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कोटीनां कोटि-शतानि), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

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

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Multiplicity of brahmāṇḍas within the immeasurable expanse

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: majestic

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Kalpa

Cosmic Hierarchy: Brahmanda (universe)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Countless brahmāṇḍas exist in the immeasurable expanse, indicating creation’s plurality under a single supreme order.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Let the sense of cosmic vastness humble egoic centrality and encourage reverence for the sustaining divine order.

Vishishtadvaita: Many real worlds can subsist as modes of the one Supreme, preserving unity without erasing plurality.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Brahmāṇḍa (cosmic egg/universe)

FAQs

What is the significance of countless universes (brahmāṇḍas) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse emphasizes the immeasurable scale of creation—universes exist in vast multitudes—highlighting that cosmic order is not confined to a single world-system.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the scale of creation to Maitreya?

He uses escalating numerical magnitudes (thousands, tens of thousands, koṭi-koṭi) to convey that the cosmos contains innumerable world-eggs of similar structure.

What is Lord Viṣṇu’s theological importance in this cosmological context?

Even amid countless universes, Viṣṇu is implicitly presented as the supreme sustaining reality—sovereign and all-pervading—underpinning the stability and intelligibility of creation.