Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अष्टाविंशतिकृत्वो वै वेदो व्यस्तो महर्षिभिः वैवस्वते ऽन्तरे तस्मिन् द्वापरेषु पुनः पुनः

Transliteration

aṣṭāviṃśatikṛtvo vai vedo vyasto maharṣibhiḥ vaivasvate 'ntare tasmin dvāpareṣu punaḥ punaḥ

Translation

In that Vaivasvata Manvantara, in the Dvāpara ages again and again, the great seers arranged and re-divided the Veda—twenty-eight times in all.

Word by Word

• अष्टाविंशति-कृत्वः: twenty-eight times
• अष्टाविंशति-कृत्वः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अष्टाविंशति (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + कृत्वस्/कृत्वः (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of frequency)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/उपपादक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• वेदः: the Veda
• वेदः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• व्यस्तः: was divided
• व्यस्तः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि√अस्/व्यस् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि भावः

• महर्षिभिः: by the great sages
• महर्षिभिः: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महर्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• वैवस्वते: in (the period of) Vaivasvata
• वैवस्वते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैवस्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying)

• अन्तरे: in the interval / Manvantara
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; निर्देश-सर्वनाम

• द्वापरेषु: in the Dvāpara (ages)
• द्वापरेषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वापर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (adverb)

• पुनः: again and again
• पुनः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति (intensification)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How many times the Veda has been divided within the Vaivasvata Manvantara and in which yuga

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative and enumerative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Manvantara

Yuga: Dvapara

Manvantara: Vaivasvata

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Because beings’ capacities change by yuga, the seers repeatedly re-arrange the Veda in Dvāpara to safeguard dharma and intelligibility.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Approach śāstra with humility and appropriate methods (study aids, commentaries) suited to one’s era and capacity.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s governance of time includes provisioning accessible revelation for souls (cit) within the world (acit), indicating purposeful divine immanence in history.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vaivasvata Manu
• Maharishis
• Veda
• Dvapara Yuga

FAQs

What is the significance of the Manvantara cycle in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse ties sacred history to cosmic time: within the Vaivasvata Manvantara, the Veda is repeatedly reorganized in each Dvāpara age, showing how dharma is maintained across recurring cycles.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the repeated division of the Veda?

Parāśara presents it as a recurring necessity of the yuga-cycle: in Dvāpara Yuga, great seers systematize the Veda again and again so that knowledge remains workable as human capacity declines over time.

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

Even when not named in the verse, the Purāṇic framework assumes Vishnu as the supreme governor of cosmic order—Vedic preservation and yuga-structured renewal operate within his sustaining sovereignty over time and dharma.