Shloka 4

Devanagari script

वेदद्रुमस्य मैत्रेय शाखाभेदैः सहस्रशः न शक्यो विस्तरो वक्तुं संक्षेपेण शृणुष्व तम्

Transliteration

vedadrumasya maitreya śākhābhedaiḥ sahasraśaḥ na śakyo vistaro vaktuṃ saṃkṣepeṇa śṛṇuṣva tam

Translation

O Maitreya, the Veda is like a mighty tree with thousands of branching recensions; its full expanse cannot be spoken in detail—therefore hear from me its essence in brief.

Word by Word

• वेदद्रुमस्य: of the Veda-tree
• वेदद्रुमस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद+द्रुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; genitive singular; ‘tree of the Veda’

• मैत्रेय: O Maitreya
• मैत्रेय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• शाखाभेदैः: with branch-divisions
• शाखाभेदैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाखा+भेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; instrumental plural

• सहस्रशः: by thousands, innumerably
• सहस्रशः: Kriya-Visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of multiplicity)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• शक्यः: possible
• शक्यः: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √शक्)
• Form: कृदन्त (तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्ययार्थे ‘possible’), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; agrees with विस्तरः

• विस्तरः: full extent, detailed account
• विस्तरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विस्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; nominative singular

• वक्तुम्: to tell
• वक्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), अव्ययवत्; ‘to speak’

• संक्षेपेण: briefly
• संक्षेपेण: Kriya-Visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संक्षेप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; instrumental singular; ‘in brief’

• शृणुष्व: listen
• शृणुष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• तम्: that (account)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; accusative singular

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Vedic śākhā-divisions and the Vyāsas across ages

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Veda’s tradition is immeasurably vast; therefore, a competent teacher conveys its essence through structured, digestible summaries.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Prioritize well-organized study (saṅgraha) before attempting exhaustive detail; learn the ‘map’ of a tradition to avoid confusion.

Vishishtadvaita: Śāstra is a compassionate accommodation—Bhagavān’s order provides graded access to truth through pedagogical compression and lineage.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Maitreya
• Veda (Vedic tree)
• Shakhas (Vedic recensions)

FAQs

What is the significance of describing the Veda as a “tree” in the Vishnu Purana?

It highlights the Veda’s organic vastness—one sacred source expressed through countless branches (śākhās)—and justifies why the teaching must be given as an essence rather than an exhaustive catalogue.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the need for a concise account here?

He states that the detailed extent of the Vedic branches is not feasible to narrate, so he will present a succinct summary suited to Maitreya’s inquiry and the Purāṇic teaching style.

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

By framing sacred knowledge as something to be distilled and transmitted for dharma and cosmic order, the Purāṇa implicitly positions Vishnu as the ultimate ground of that order—making the summary a practical path to understanding the Supreme Reality behind the Veda.