Shloka 15

वेदव्यास-परम्परा तथा प्रणव-ब्रह्म-स्तुति

Devanagari script

त्रय्यारुणः पञ्चदशे षोडशे तु धनंजयः क्रतुंजयः सप्तदशे ऋणज्यो ऽष्टादशे स्मृतः

Transliteration

trayyāruṇaḥ pañcadaśe ṣoḍaśe tu dhanaṃjayaḥ kratuṃjayaḥ saptadaśe ṛṇajyo 'ṣṭādaśe smṛtaḥ

Translation

In the fifteenth he is remembered as Trayyāruṇa; in the sixteenth as Dhanaṃjaya. In the seventeenth as Kratuṃjaya; and in the eighteenth as Ṛṇajya—many names revealing one sustaining principle through the course of time.

Word by Word

• त्रय्यारुणः: Tray(y)āruṇa
• त्रय्यारुणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रयी (प्रातिपदिक) + अरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः/सम्बन्ध-तत्पुरुषः: ‘त्रय्याः अरुणः’ (Aruna of the three Vedas) इति नाम; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• पञ्चदशे: in the fifteenth
• पञ्चदशे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चदशम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्

• षोडशे: in the sixteenth
• षोडशे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षोडशम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषार्थक-निपातः (particle)

• धनंजयः: Dhanaṃjaya
• धनंजयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक) + जय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उपपद-तत्पुरुषः: ‘धनं जयति’ (conqueror of wealth) इति नाम; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• क्रतुंजयः: Kratuṃjaya
• क्रतुंजयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक) + जय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उपपद-तत्पुरुषः: ‘क्रतुं जयति’ (conqueror of sacrifices/rites) इति नाम; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• सप्तदशे: in the seventeenth
• सप्तदशे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्तदशम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्

• ऋणज्यः: Ṛṇajya
• ऋणज्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋण (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (नामसमासः); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; पाठभेदे ‘ऋणज्यो’ (o-प्रत्ययान्त-रूप)

• अष्टादशे: in the eighteenth
• अष्टादशे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टादशम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्

• स्मृतः: is said/recorded
• स्मृतः: Karma (Predicate complement/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Manvantara succession and the many appellations/functional designations of the sustaining sovereign principle across time

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Manvantara

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The one supreme regulator is indicated by many names across successive cycles, each name marking a distinct function in the ordered movement of time.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Contemplate divine unity behind changing roles and historical forms, cultivating steadiness amid life’s cycles.

Vishishtadvaita: Unity-in-diversity: one Lord (Vishnu) manifests multiple functional powers and names while remaining the single inner ruler (antaryāmin).

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Trayyāruṇa
• Dhanaṃjaya
• Kratuṃjaya
• Ṛṇajya
• Sūrya (implied solar principle/Āditya enumeration)

FAQs

What is the significance of listing names like Trayyāruṇa, Dhanaṃjaya, Kratuṃjaya, and Ṛṇajya in the Vishnu Purana?

The verse preserves a traditional enumeration where successive positions/cycles are marked by specific names, indicating regulated cosmic administration rather than randomness—many names pointing to ordered function.

How does Sage Parāśara explain cyclical order in this context?

By presenting a sequence (15th–18th) with fixed appellations, Parāśara emphasizes that time and cosmic roles proceed by structured succession, taught as received tradition (smṛtaḥ).

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

Even when the verse lists functional names within the solar/time order, the Purāṇic intent is that the supreme sustaining reality (ultimately Vishnu) is expressed through many operational forms that uphold dharma and cosmic rhythm.