Shloka 15

Devanagari script

आख्यानैश् चाप्य् उपाख्यानैर् गाथाभिः कल्पशुद्धिभिः पुराणसंहितां चक्रे पुराणार्थविशारदः

Transliteration

ākhyānaiś cāpy upākhyānair gāthābhiḥ kalpaśuddhibhiḥ purāṇasaṃhitāṃ cakre purāṇārthaviśāradaḥ

Translation

Skilled in the true import of the Purāṇas, he composed the Purāṇic compendium—structuring it with grand narratives and subsidiary tales, with ancient lays, and with chronologies purified by the ordering of the Kalpas.

Word by Word

• आख्यानैः: with narratives
• आख्यानैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आख्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन — ‘by/with narratives’

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• अपि: also
• अपि: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) — ‘also’

• उपाख्यानैः: with subsidiary tales
• उपाख्यानैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपाख्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• गाथाभिः: with songs/verses
• गाथाभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गाथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• कल्पशुद्धिभिः: with ritual purifications/clarifications
• कल्पशुद्धिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प + शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — ‘कल्पस्य शुद्धयः’ (purifications/ritual clarifications)

• पुराणसंहिताम्: the Purāṇa compilation
• पुराणसंहिताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण + संहिता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘पुराणस्य संहिता’

• चक्रे: compiled
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद — ‘made/compiled’

• पुराणार्थविशारदः: one skilled in Purāṇa meanings
• पुराणार्थविशारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण + अर्थ + विशारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘पुराणार्थे विशारदः’ (expert in the meaning of the Purāṇas)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya in the ongoing frame-dialogue)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How Purāṇic knowledge is compiled—through ākhyāna/upākhyāna, gāthā, and kalpa-ordered chronology—so cosmic time and sacred history are intelligible.

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Kalpa

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Purāṇa organizes narrative, sub-narrative, and ancient song into kalpa-structured chronology to disclose the patterned rhythm of cosmic time under the Supreme.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Study tradition with attention to its narrative architecture; use cyclical time (kalpa/manvantara/yuga) to cultivate detachment, steadiness, and God-centered meaning-making.

Vishishtadvaita: The Supreme (Nārāyaṇa) is both the transcendent ground and the immanent governor of cosmic time; history and cosmology become a theistic revelation rather than mere chronicle.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Jagat Karana: Yes

FAQs

What is the significance of kalpa-based ordering (kalpa-śuddhi) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse highlights that Purāṇic teaching is anchored in clarified cosmic chronology—Kalpas organize sacred history so doctrine, creation-cycles, and dharma unfold in an intelligible universal order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Purāṇa’s teaching method here?

He indicates a layered pedagogy: primary narratives (ākhyāna), supporting episodes (upākhyāna), and traditional gāthās together convey doctrine and memory, while kalpa-structure provides coherence across vast cycles of time.

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

By stressing cosmic order and purified chronology, the verse supports the Purāṇic aim of revealing the Supreme governing principle—Vishnu as the sustaining sovereignty behind time, cycles, and sacred history.