Shloka 15

शिशुमार-रूपं, ध्रुवबन्धनम्, वृष्टिचक्र-पालनम्, नारायणाधारत्वम्

Devanagari script

कृत्तिकादिषु ऋक्षेषु विषमेष्व् अम्बु यद् दिवः दृष्टार्कं पतितं ज्ञेयं तद् गाङ्गं दिग्गजोज्झितम्

Transliteration

kṛttikādiṣu ṛkṣeṣu viṣameṣv ambu yad divaḥ dṛṣṭārkaṃ patitaṃ jñeyaṃ tad gāṅgaṃ diggajojjhitam

Translation

Among the lunar mansions beginning with Kṛttikā, especially in the inauspicious uneven divisions, when water is seen to fall from the sky while the Sun is still visible, know that rain to be the ‘Gaṅgā’: a heaven-sent outpouring, as though released from the quarters when the cosmic elephants that uphold the directions have withdrawn.

Word by Word

• कृत्तिकादिषु: in (the asterisms) beginning with Kṛttikā
• कृत्तिकादिषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्तिका + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; समासः—कृत्तिका-आदि (कृत्तिकाः आदयः येषु तेषु)

• ऋक्षेषु: among the lunar mansions (asterisms)
• ऋक्षेषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन

• विषमेषु: in the odd (ones)
• विषमेषु: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (ऋक्षेषु)

• अम्बु: water
• अम्बु: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• दिवः: from heaven/sky
• दिवः: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन

• दृष्टार्कम्: (water) that has seen the sun / sun-seen
• दृष्टार्कम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृष्ट (√दृश्, क्त/कृदन्त) + अर्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—दृष्ट-आर्क (अर्कं दृष्टम् यस्य/यत्र तत्)

• पतितम्: fallen
• पतितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पतित (√पत्, क्त/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (यत्/अम्बु)

• ज्ञेयम्: to be known (as)
• ज्ञेयम्: Predicate (Vidheyavisheshana/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञेय (√ज्ञा, तव्यत्/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (to be known)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तद् (correlative pronoun)

• गाङ्गम्: of the Gaṅgā
• गाङ्गम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गाङ्ग (गङ्गा-सम्बन्धि, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तत्/अम्बु)

• दिग्गजोज्झितम्: cast off by the elephants of the directions
• दिग्गजोज्झितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिक् + गज + उज्झित (√उज्झ्, क्त/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—दिग्गज-उज्झित (दिग्गजैः उज्झितम् = by the elephants of the quarters cast off)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Explanation of unusual rains/omens connected with nakṣatras and the ‘sky-Gaṅgā’

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Natural phenomena are read as expressions of a structured cosmos, where even anomalous rain is integrated into sacred cosmology (ākāśa-gaṅgā).

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate reverence for ecological cycles while discerning the text’s symbolic mapping of nature onto sacred order.

Vishishtadvaita: The world’s processes are meaningful within divine governance, suggesting a cosmos pervaded by purposeful order rather than mere accident.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛttikā
• Nakṣatras (lunar mansions)
• Gaṅgā
• Diggajas (elephants of the directions)
• Sūrya (Sun)

FAQs

What is the significance of rain falling while the sun is visible in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse treats a sunshower as a meaningful celestial sign—identified as ‘Gaṅgā-like’ rain—linking a rare natural event to Purāṇic cosmic structure and the governance of the directions.

How does Sage Parāśara explain astral influence through nakṣatras here?

Parāśara frames phenomena as conditioned by the lunar mansions (nakṣatras), indicating that time and space are read through a sacred astral grid where particular divisions are considered auspicious or inauspicious.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purāṇa’s cosmology assumes a sovereign order upheld by the Supreme—events in the sky and earth are intelligible as expressions within Vishnu’s governed universe.