Shloka 36

मन्वन्तर-क्रमः (अतीत-सप्तमन्वन्तराः) तथा मन्वन्तरावताराः

Devanagari script

अंशेन तस्या जज्ञे ऽसौ यज्ञः स्वायंभुवे ऽन्तरे आकूत्यां मानसो देव उत्पन्नः प्रथमे ऽन्तरे

Transliteration

aṃśena tasyā jajñe 'sau yajñaḥ svāyaṃbhuve 'ntare ākūtyāṃ mānaso deva utpannaḥ prathame 'ntare

Translation

From a portion of her divine potency, the Lord Yajña was born in the Svāyambhuva Manvantara; in Ākūti he manifested as a mind-born deity, appearing in that very first cycle of the ages.

Word by Word

• अंशेन: by a portion
• अंशेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अंश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध) विभक्ति, एकवचन — Genitive singular

• जज्ञे: was born
• जज्ञे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद — Perfect, 3rd person singular (Ātmanepada)

• असौ: that (he)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन — Nominative singular (demonstrative pronoun)

• यज्ञः: Yajña (the deity Yajña)
• यज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन — Nominative singular

• स्वायंभुवे: in (the period) of Svāyambhuva
• स्वायंभुवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वायंभुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन — Locative singular (qualifying ‘अन्तरे’)

• अन्तरे: in the Manvantara/interval
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन — Locative singular

• आकूत्याम्: in Ākūti
• आकूत्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकूति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन — Locative singular

• मानसः: mind-born
• मानसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन — Nominative singular (qualifying ‘देवः/यज्ञः’)

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन — Nominative singular

• उत्पन्नः: arisen/born
• उत्पन्नः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत् + पद् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत् कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Past participle, nominative singular

• प्रथमे: in the first
• प्रथमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन — Locative singular (qualifying ‘अन्तरे’)

• अन्तरे: in the Manvantara/interval
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन — Locative singular

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Enumeration of the Lord’s manifestations across the Manvantaras

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Manvantara

Manvantara: Svayambhuva

Avatara Context

Purpose: As Yajña, the Lord presides over and stabilizes the first Manu-cycle by establishing sacrificial order and protecting the devas.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Vedic sacrifice (yajña) as the sustaining principle of ṛta and social-cosmic harmony

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The one Lord manifests repeatedly by partial self-expression to preside over each Manu-cycle without diminishing His transcendence.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Contemplate time as sacred cycles and align daily life with yajña—self-offering, duty, and gratitude.

Vishishtadvaita: Vishnu remains the transcendent Nārāyaṇa while becoming immanently present as Manvantara-pati through aṃśa.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Yajña
• Svāyambhuva Manu
• Ākūti

FAQs

What is the significance of Yajña in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents Yajña as a divine aṁśa whose manifestation in the first Manvantara upholds cosmic order through the principle of sacrifice (yajña) as dharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain Manvantara cycles here?

Parāśara locates the manifestation of Yajña specifically within the Svāyambhuva Manvantara, showing that divine governance appears distinctly in each manvantara-interval to sustain the world.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

By describing a deity arising as an aṁśa to regulate the universe through yajña, the passage implies Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty—manifesting in forms that preserve dharma across cosmic cycles.