Shloka 40

लोकसंस्थानम्, ग्रहदूरी-प्रमाणम्, ब्रह्माण्डावरणानि, विष्णोः जगत्कारणत्वम्

Devanagari script

स च विष्णुः परं ब्रह्म यतः सर्वम् इदं जगत् जगच् च यो यत्र चेदं यस्मिंश् च लयम् एष्यति

Transliteration

sa ca viṣṇuḥ paraṃ brahma yataḥ sarvam idaṃ jagat jagac ca yo yatra cedaṃ yasmiṃś ca layam eṣyati

Translation

And that very Viṣṇu is the Supreme Brahman—from whom this entire universe arises; who is Himself this universe; in whom it abides; and into whom it finally passes at dissolution.

Word by Word

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

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/and)

• विष्णुः: Vishnu
• विष्णुः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (ब्रह्म)

• ब्रह्म: Brahman
• ब्रह्म: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यतः: from whom/whence
• यतः: Hetu/Source marker (Cause/Source indicator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatas (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्धबोधक; ‘from which/whence’)

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (जगत्/इदं)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karta (Subject of implied ‘is/comes’)/कर्ता
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• जगत्: world, universe
• जगत्: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition to इदम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• जगत्: the world
• जगत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/and)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa-bodhaka (Locative indicator/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक/locative adverb: where)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/and)

• इदम्: this (world)
• इदम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• यस्मिन्: in whom/wherein
• यस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/and)

• लयम्: dissolution, absorption
• लयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: laya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• एष्यति: will go/attain
• एष्यति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: i (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The ultimate ground of the universe—its origin, identity, sustenance, and dissolution

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Kalpa

Cosmic Hierarchy: Brahmanda

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Viṣṇu is Para-Brahman: from Him the universe arises, as Him it is, in Him it abides, and into Him it dissolves.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Contemplate the Lord as the ground of experience—practice remembrance (smaraṇa) and surrender (prapatti) while seeing the world as dependent on Him.

Vishishtadvaita: Qualified non-dualism: the jagat is real yet inseparable as His body (śarīra), while He remains the inner ruler and source.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Brahman
• Jagat (Universe)
• Laya (Dissolution)

FAQs

What is the significance of Vishnu being called Para Brahman in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse identifies Vishnu not merely as a deity within the cosmos but as the Supreme Absolute (Para Brahman) from whom the universe originates, by whom it is sustained, and into whom it dissolves.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the universe’s origin and dissolution here?

Parāśara frames creation and dissolution as movements within Vishnu: the cosmos proceeds from Him, exists in Him as its support and locus, and returns to Him at laya (cosmic reabsorption).

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Vishnu is presented as the sovereign metaphysical reality—both transcendent (Supreme Brahman) and immanent (the universe and its inner support), a foundational claim for later Vaishnava Vedānta interpretations.