Shloka 28

वेदव्यास-परम्परा तथा प्रणव-ब्रह्म-स्तुति

Devanagari script

परमब्रह्मणे तस्मै नित्यम् एव नमो नमः यद् रूपं वासुदेवस्य परमात्मस्वरूपिणः

Transliteration

paramabrahmaṇe tasmai nityam eva namo namaḥ yad rūpaṃ vāsudevasya paramātmasvarūpiṇaḥ

Translation

Unceasingly, again and again, I bow to that Supreme Brahman—whose form is Vāsudeva, whose very nature is the Paramātman.

Word by Word

• परमब्रह्मणे: unto the Supreme Brahman
• परमब्रह्मणे: Sampradana (Recipient/संप्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परमब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; परम + ब्रह्मन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; संप्रदानार्थे (Dative: ‘unto’)

• तस्मै: to him/unto that
• तस्मै: Sampradana (Recipient/संप्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक (emphatic particle)

• नमो: salutation
• नमो: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विसर्गलोपे रूपम् (namo < namaḥ)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक/यत्-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• रूपम्: form
• रूपम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• वासुदेवस्य: of Vāsudeva
• वासुदेवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• परमात्मस्वरूपिणः: whose nature is the Supreme Self
• परमात्मस्वरूपिणः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परमात्मस्वरूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक; परमात्मन् + स्वरूपिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘वासुदेवस्य’)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya; invocatory praise at the start of the discourse)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Nature of the Supreme (Brahman) as Vāsudeva/Paramātman and the ground of Vedic revelation

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: reverential

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Supreme Brahman is personally knowable as Vāsudeva, whose very nature is the Paramātman, and thus worthy of ceaseless surrender.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Adopt daily namaskāra/japa with the conviction that the object of devotion is the very Absolute, not a lesser deity.

Vishishtadvaita: Affirms Brahman as a personal Lord (Vāsudeva) who is the inner Self (Paramātman), uniting transcendence with intimate accessibility.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Vyuha Form: Vasudeva

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva
• Paramātman

FAQs

What is the significance of calling Vāsudeva 'Para Brahman' in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse explicitly equates Vāsudeva (Vishnu) with the highest absolute reality, establishing that all later cosmology and creation teachings are grounded in His supreme, transcendent nature.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Supreme Self (Paramātman) in this opening context?

He begins with an invocation: the 'form' (rūpa) spoken of is not merely physical, but the essential nature—Vāsudeva Himself as the indwelling Supreme Self—setting a theological lens for the chapters that follow.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Vishnu is presented as both transcendent (Para Brahman) and immanent (Paramātman), supporting Vaishnava philosophy where the universe and its order proceed from, abide in, and are ultimately rooted in Him.