Shloka 57

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

Devanagari script

चक्रवर्तिस्वरूपेण त्रेतायाम् अपि स प्रभुः दुष्टानां निग्रहं कुर्वन् परिपाति जगत्त्रयम्

Transliteration

cakravartisvarūpeṇa tretāyām api sa prabhuḥ duṣṭānāṃ nigrahaṃ kurvan paripāti jagattrayam

Translation

Even in the Tretā Yuga, that Supreme Lord—assuming the form of a universal sovereign (cakravartin)—restrains the wicked; and by curbing wrongdoing, He safeguards the three worlds.

Word by Word

• चक्रवर्तिस्वरूपेण: in the form of a universal monarch
• चक्रवर्तिस्वरूपेण: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्रवर्ति + स्वरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (चक्रवर्ति-स्वरूप)

• त्रेतायाम्: in the Tretā age
• त्रेतायाम्: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रेता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: सम्बन्ध/निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• सः: he
• सः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रभुः: the Lord
• प्रभुः: कर्ता (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• दुष्टानाम्: of the wicked
• दुष्टानाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• निग्रहम्: restraint, suppression
• निग्रहम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• कुर्वन्: doing, while performing
• कुर्वन्: क्रियाविशेषण (Concomitant action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• परिपाति: protects, guards
• परिपाति: क्रिया (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + पा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• जगत्त्रयम्: the three worlds
• जगत्त्रयम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (जगत्-त्रय = 'three worlds')

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How Viṣṇu protects the worlds in Tretā-yuga by assuming sovereign authority and punishing the wicked.

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Yuga: Treta

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (jagat-traya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Divine sovereignty expresses as rāja-dharma: curbing the wicked is a protective act that sustains the three worlds.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Exercise authority (in family, work, society) as protection of the vulnerable—firm against harm, impartial, and duty-centered.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s transcendence does not negate immanence in social order—He upholds dharma through embodied governance for the good of all beings.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Cakravartin (Universal Monarch)
• Three Worlds (Trailokya)

FAQs

What is the significance of the cakravartin (universal monarch) idea in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents righteous sovereignty as a divine mode of protection: Vishnu can uphold dharma not only through avatars but also through the archetype of an ideal universal ruler who restrains adharma for the welfare of all realms.

How does Sage Parāśara explain Vishnu’s role across the yugas here?

Parāśara frames Vishnu as the same Supreme Lord who adapts His function to the age—here, in Tretā Yuga—by ensuring order through governance and the curbing of the wicked, thereby maintaining stability in the cosmos.

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

Vishnu is portrayed as the supreme preserver whose sovereignty is expressed as protection: restraining destructive forces is not merely political control but a cosmic act that sustains the three worlds and upholds dharma.