Shloka 15

नग्न-परिभाषा तथा देव-स्तोत्रपूर्वक मायामोह-उत्पत्ति

Defining ‘Nagna’ and the Devas’ Hymn Leading to Māyāmoha

Devanagari script

एकं तवैतद् भूतात्मन् मूर्तामूर्तमयं वपुः आब्रह्मस्तम्बपर्यन्तं स्थानकालविभेदवत्

Transliteration

ekaṃ tavaitad bhūtātman mūrtāmūrtamayaṃ vapuḥ ābrahmastambaparyantaṃ sthānakālavibhedavat

Translation

O Indwelling Soul of all beings, this is Your single form—at once manifest and unmanifest—extending from Brahmā down to a blade of grass, appearing differentiated only through distinctions of place and time.

Word by Word

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Pratipādya (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: एकवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), नपुंसकलिङ्ग; विशेषण

• तव: of you, your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: एकवचन, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Pratipādya (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: एकवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सर्वनाम

• भूतात्मन्: O soul of beings
• भूतात्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: एकवचन, सम्बोधन (Vocative), पुल्लिङ्ग; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (भूतानाम् आत्मा)

• मूर्त-अमूर्त-मयम्: consisting of the manifest and the unmanifest
• मूर्त-अमूर्त-मयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूर्त (प्रातिपदिक) + अमूर्त (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: एकवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), नपुंसकलिङ्ग; विशेषण; समासः—द्वन्द्व (मूर्त + अमूर्त) ततः मय-प्रत्ययान्त (consisting of)

• वपुः: form, body
• वपुः: Pratipādya (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: एकवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), नपुंसकलिङ्ग

• आ-ब्रह्म-स्तम्ब-पर्यन्तम्: extending from Brahmā down to a blade of grass
• आ-ब्रह्म-स्तम्ब-पर्यन्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ (अव्यय) + ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + स्तम्ब (प्रातिपदिक) + पर्यन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: एकवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), नपुंसकलिङ्ग; विशेषण; समासः—अव्ययीभावः (आ + ... + पर्यन्त) = ‘up to ...’

• स्थान-काल-विभेद-वत्: having distinctions of place and time
• स्थान-काल-विभेद-वत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक) + विभेद (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित)
• Form: एकवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), नपुंसकलिङ्ग; विशेषण; समासः—तत्पुरुषः; वत्-प्रत्यय (possessing)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya about Vishnu’s all-pervading nature)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How the one Lord appears as the manifold—manifest/unmanifest across all beings

Teaching: Philosophical

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord’s single body is both manifest and unmanifest, pervading all—from Brahmā to grass—while differences arise only from space-time conditioning.

Vedantic Theme: Atman

Application: Practice seeing the same indwelling Lord in high and low, cultivating non-contempt and steady devotion amid diversity.

Vishishtadvaita: Supports śarīra-śarīrī-bhāva: the universe (from Brahmā to grass) is the Lord’s body, with real plurality as modes under His unity.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Brahma

FAQs

What is the significance of “from Brahmā to a blade of grass” in the Vishnu Purana?

It declares Vishnu’s total pervasion of reality—from the highest cosmic creator-form (Brahmā) to the smallest living presence—showing that nothing exists outside the Lord.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the manifest and unmanifest aspects of Vishnu here?

He presents Vishnu as one form that includes both the perceivable universe (manifest) and the subtle causal principle beyond perception (unmanifest), unified in the same Supreme Being.

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

Vishnu is affirmed as the Supreme Reality and inner ruler of all beings, with diversity attributed to time-space conditions rather than to any limitation in the Lord’s essential oneness.