Shloka 10

भविष्य-मन्वन्तराः (अष्टम-चतुर्दश) तथा कल्प-युग-व्यवस्था

Devanagari script

यत् सूर्याद् वैष्णवं तेजः शातितं विश्वकर्मणा जाज्वल्यमानम् अपतत् तद् भूमौ मुनिसत्तम

Transliteration

yat sūryād vaiṣṇavaṃ tejaḥ śātitaṃ viśvakarmaṇā jājvalyamānam apatat tad bhūmau munisattama

Translation

O best of sages, the Vaiṣṇava splendor that Viśvakarmā pared away from the Sun—still blazing with fierce brilliance—fell down upon the earth.

Word by Word

• yat: which/that (thing)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• sūryāt: from the Sun
• sūryāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

• vaiṣṇavam: Vishnu’s/pertaining to Vishnu
• vaiṣṇavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaiṣṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (tejaḥ-विशेषण)

• tejaḥ: splendour, energy
• tejaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tejas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• śātitam: pared/trimmed (down)
• śātitam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śātita (कृदन्त; √śā/śāy? caus./denom. ‘to sharpen/pare’—शाति/शातयति)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), tejaḥ-विशेषण

• viśvakarmaṇā: by Viśvakarman
• viśvakarmaṇā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśvakarman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• jājvalyamānam: blazing, flaming
• jājvalyamānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jājvalyamāna (कृदन्त; √jval ‘to blaze’—ज्वल्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वर्तमानकर्मणि कृदन्त (present passive participle), tejaḥ-विशेषण

• apatat: fell
• apatat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pat (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• tat: that (same)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; निर्देश-सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• bhūmau: on the earth
• bhūmau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• munisattama: O best of sages
• munisattama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: munisattama (प्रातिपदिक; muni + sattama)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (munīnām sattamaḥ)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Manvantaras and the origins of lineages connected with the Sun (Sūrya) and its consequences for cosmic order

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Characters & Entities

• Surya (the Sun)
• Vishnu (as the source of Vaiṣṇava tejas)
• Vishvakarma (divine architect)

FAQs

What is the significance of Vaiṣṇava tejas in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse treats the Sun’s power as fundamentally Vaiṣṇava—an energy rooted in Viṣṇu’s sovereignty—showing that even cosmic radiance is a governed, purposeful force rather than an independent absolute.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the regulation of cosmic forces here?

Parāśara describes Viśvakarmā as the agent who ‘pares down’ the Sun’s excessive brilliance, implying a divinely administered balance so creation can endure without being harmed by overwhelming celestial power.

What is Lord Vishnu’s theological importance in this context?

By calling the Sun’s radiance ‘Vaiṣṇava,’ the text anchors cosmic phenomena in Viṣṇu as Supreme Reality—natural power is portrayed as dependent on Him and aligned to dharmic order.