Shloka 58

Devanagari script

वेदम् एकं चतुर्भेदं कृत्वा शाखाशतैर् विभुः करोति बहुलं भूयो वेदव्यासस्वरूपधृक्

Transliteration

vedam ekaṃ caturbhedaṃ kṛtvā śākhāśatair vibhuḥ karoti bahulaṃ bhūyo vedavyāsasvarūpadhṛk

Translation

The all-pervading Lord—again assuming the form of Vedavyāsa—takes the single Veda and divides it into four; and then, through hundreds of branches (śākhās), He makes that sacred knowledge expansive and widely accessible once more.

Word by Word

• वेदम्: the Veda
• वेदम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• एकम्: one, single
• एकम्: कर्मविशेषण (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण (वेदम्-विशेषण)

• चतुर्भेदम्: fourfold
• चतुर्भेदम्: कर्मविशेषण (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् + भेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—तत्पुरुष (चतुर्-भेद = 'fourfold')

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: पूर्वकाल (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• शाखाशतैः: by hundreds of branches (recensions)
• शाखाशतैः: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाखा + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (शाखा-शत = 'hundreds of branches')

• विभुः: the all-pervading Lord
• विभुः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• करोति: makes
• करोति: क्रिया (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• बहुलम्: abundant, extensive
• बहुलम्: कर्मविशेषण (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण (implicit: वेदम्/वेदम्)

• भूयः: again, further
• भूयः: सम्बन्ध/अव्यय (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयस्/भूयः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) = again/further

• वेदव्यासस्वरूपधृक्: assuming the form of Vedavyāsa
• वेदव्यासस्वरूपधृक्: कर्तृविशेषण (Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेदव्यास + स्वरूप + धृक् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—तत्पुरुष (वेदव्यास-स्वरूप-धृक् = 'bearing the form of Vedavyāsa')

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How the Lord, as Vedavyāsa, expands and organizes the Veda for beings in later yugas.

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: As Vedavyāsa, the Lord systematizes the single Veda into four and proliferates śākhās so dharma-knowledge remains accessible amid declining human capacity.

Leela: Dharma-upadesa

Dharma Restored: Preservation and accessibility of śruti through division, compilation, and pedagogical branching

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord’s compassion operates through śāstra: by becoming Vyāsa He safeguards revelation and adapts its transmission to human limitation.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Treat scriptural study as divine mercy; choose a disciplined, authentic lineage of learning and practice consistently rather than seeking novelty.

Vishishtadvaita: Revelation is not impersonal—its preservation is the Lord’s purposeful act for the world’s welfare, showing His immanence in śāstra and tradition.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Vedavyasa
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the significance of Vedavyāsa dividing the Veda in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames the Veda’s fourfold division and proliferation into many śākhās as a divine act—Vishnu, as Vedavyāsa, reorganizes revelation so it can be preserved and practiced effectively in changing times.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the expansion of Vedic tradition through śākhās?

Parāśara indicates that after dividing the one Veda into four, the Lord further multiplies it into hundreds of branches, suggesting a deliberate system for transmission, specialization, and continuity of sacred learning.

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

Vishnu is presented as the sovereign sustainer of cosmic and social order, not only through avatars in the world but also by safeguarding dharma via the structuring and dissemination of Vedic knowledge.