Shloka 42

मन्वन्तर-क्रमः (अतीत-सप्तमन्वन्तराः) तथा मन्वन्तरावताराः

Devanagari script

मन्वन्तरे तु संप्राप्ते तथा वैवस्वते द्विज वामनः कश्यपाद् विष्णुर् अदित्यां संबभूव ह

Transliteration

manvantare tu saṃprāpte tathā vaivasvate dvija vāmanaḥ kaśyapād viṣṇur adityāṃ saṃbabhūva ha

Translation

When the Vaivasvata Manvantara arrived, O twice-born one, Viṣṇu—assuming the form of Vāmana—was indeed born in Aditi through Kaśyapa.

Word by Word

• मन्वन्तरे: in the Manvantara
• मन्वन्तरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manvantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; काल-अधिकरण

• तु: indeed/then
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• संप्राप्ते: having arrived / when it had come
• संप्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + √prāp (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् मन्वन्तरे (locative absolute sense: 'when ... had come')

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

• वैवस्वते: in the Vaivasvata (period)
• वैवस्वते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaivasvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषणम् मन्वन्तरे (in the Vaivasvata [Manvantara])

• द्विज: O twice-born (brāhmaṇa)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• वामनः: Vāmana
• वामनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāmana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• कश्यपात्: from Kaśyapa
• कश्यपात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaśyapa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (source)

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; वामनस्य अभेदेन (apposition)

• अदित्याम्: in Aditi
• अदित्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aditi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; स्थान/आश्रय-अधिकरण (in Aditi; womb)

• संबभूव: came into being / was born
• संबभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ह: indeed (narrative particle)
• ह: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ha (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; narrative emphasis)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Manvantara-wise manifestations of Viṣṇu, now reaching the present Vaivasvata cycle.

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Manvantara

Manvantara: Vaivasvata

Avatara Context

Avatara: Vamana

Purpose: Viṣṇu descends as Vāmana to subdue Bali and restore the rightful sovereignty of the worlds to the devas, especially Indra.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Restoration of deva-administration and cosmic balance (loka-krama) through righteous limitation of asuric power.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Supreme Lord freely assumes a humble form to accomplish cosmic justice, showing that divine power can operate through apparent smallness.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate humility and trust that dharma can be restored through non-violent, intelligent restraint rather than mere force.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s saulabhya (accessibility) and sovereignty coexist: He becomes near (as Vāmana) without ceasing to be supreme.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Vāmana
• Kaśyapa
• Aditi
• Vaivasvata Manu

FAQs

What is the significance of the Vaivasvata Manvantara in the Vishnu Purana?

It is the current Manvantara of our age, within which major avatāras appear to uphold dharma, and this verse places Vāmana’s manifestation specifically in that cosmic period.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the appearance of avatāras across Manvantaras?

He narrates avatāras as periodic manifestations of Viṣṇu aligned with Manvantara cycles—timed descents that preserve universal order while remaining expressions of the same Supreme Lord.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu being ‘born’ from Kaśyapa and Aditi here?

The verse frames the avatāra as a divine manifestation entering a sacred lineage (Kaśyapa–Aditi) to accomplish cosmic governance, while maintaining Viṣṇu’s status as the transcendent Supreme Reality.