Shloka 20

वेदव्यासः, चातुर्होत्रम्, ऋग्वेदशाखाः

Vyāsa’s Veda-division and Ṛgveda lineages

Devanagari script

तस्य शिष्यप्रशिष्येभ्यः पुत्रशिष्यान् क्रमाद् ययौ

Transliteration

tasya śiṣyapraśiṣyebhyaḥ putraśiṣyān kramād yayau

Translation

From him, in due succession, the tradition passed onward—from disciples to grand-disciples, and then, step by step, to the disciples of his sons.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him / his
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• शिष्यप्रशिष्येभ्यः: from (his) disciples and grand-disciples
• शिष्यप्रशिष्येभ्यः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिष्य (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रशिष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व: ‘शिष्याः च प्रशिष्याः च’

• पुत्रशिष्यान्: sons and disciples
• पुत्रशिष्यान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + शिष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व: ‘पुत्राः च शिष्याः च’

• क्रमात्: in due order / successively
• क्रमात्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Manner adverb/रीति-क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-न्यायेन प्रयोगः; मूलतः ‘क्रम’ शब्दस्य पञ्चमी/तृतीया-एकवचनरूपवत् अव्ययप्रयोगः (adverb): ‘क्रमेण’

• ययौ: went / passed on
• ययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्शभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How the tradition continued beyond a single teacher—mechanics of succession across generations

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Tradition endures through orderly succession (krama) across generations, not through isolated brilliance.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Build sustainable learning communities—document, mentor, and train successors to preserve integrity over time.

Vishishtadvaita: Emphasizes communal, embodied transmission of śāstra as the support for enduring devotion and right knowledge of the Lord.

Characters & Entities

• Disciples
• Grand-disciples
• Sons (as lineage-bearers)

FAQs

What is the significance of guru-paramparā (teacher–disciple succession) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse highlights that sacred knowledge is preserved through an ordered chain—disciples, grand-disciples, and the next generation—ensuring continuity of dharma and authoritative transmission.

How does Sage Parāśara explain continuity of tradition in this context?

Parāśara frames continuity as sequential (kramāt): the teaching does not remain with one person but proceeds through structured lineages of students and family-linked disciples.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Even when Vishnu is not named directly, the verse supports a key Purāṇic idea: the cosmic order (dharma) and its knowledge endure through regulated succession—an expression of the Lord’s sustaining sovereignty.