Shloka 16

वेदव्यास-परम्परा तथा प्रणव-ब्रह्म-स्तुति

Devanagari script

ततो व्यासो भरद्वाजो भरद्वाजात् तु गौतमः गौतमाद् उत्तमो व्यासो हर्यात्मा यो ऽभिधीयते

Transliteration

tato vyāso bharadvājo bharadvājāt tu gautamaḥ gautamād uttamo vyāso haryātmā yo 'bhidhīyate

Translation

Thereafter came Vyāsa; from Vyāsa, Bhāradvāja; and from Bhāradvāja, Gautama. From Gautama arose the excellent Vyāsa, spoken of as Haryātmā—“whose very self is Hari.”

Word by Word

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अपादानार्थक-क्रियाविशेषणम् (from then/thereafter)

• व्यासः: Vyāsa
• व्यासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• भरद्वाजः: Bharadvāja
• भरद्वाजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरद्वाज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• भरद्वाजात्: from Bharadvāja
• भरद्वाजात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरद्वाज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः (Ablative/5th), एकवचनम्

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

• गौतमः: Gautama
• गौतमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• गौतमात्: from Gautama
• गौतमात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी, एकवचनम्

• उत्तमः: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (superlative: best/excellent)

• व्यासः: Vyāsa
• व्यासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• हर्यात्मा: Haryātmā
• हर्यात्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘हरेः आत्मा’/‘हर्यात्मन्’ इति नाम; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• अभिधीयते: is called/is spoken of
• अभिधीयते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि + धा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive): “is called/denoted”

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Genealogical transmission among sages connected to cosmic administration and dharma-continuity

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The highest sagehood culminates in identity of purpose with Hari—one whose very self is oriented to Vishnu (Haryātmā).

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Align learning and practice so that devotion becomes one’s governing disposition, not merely an occasional act.

Vishishtadvaita: Personal theism: the jīva’s excellence is fulfilled by God-centeredness (śeṣatva to Hari), not by impersonal abstraction.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Dharma Exemplar: brahma-tejas (spiritual austerity and Vedic guardianship)

Key Kings: Vyāsa, Bharadvāja, Gautama, Haryātmā (Vyāsa)

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vyasa
• Bharadvaja
• Gautama
• Hari (Vishnu)

FAQs

What is the significance of Haryātmā in the Vishnu Purana?

In this verse, Haryātmā is an epithet for an exemplary Vyāsa, indicating a teacher whose inner being is aligned with Hari (Vishnu), highlighting the Vaishnava ideal that true wisdom culminates in devotion and God-centered realization.

How does Sage Parāśara explain lineage transmission here?

Parāśara presents a paramparā-style succession—Vyāsa → Bharadvāja → Gautama → an ‘excellent’ Vyāsa—showing how sacred knowledge and dharma are preserved through recognized rishis across generations.

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

Even within a genealogical list, Vishnu is invoked as Hari, implying that the highest stature of a sage is measured by God-centeredness—knowledge is validated by its orientation toward the Supreme Reality, Vishnu.