Shloka 24

सामवेद–अथर्ववेदशाखाः, पुराणसंहिता, अष्टादशपुराणानि, विद्यास्थानानि

Sāma/Atharvan branches, Purāṇa compendium, 18 Purāṇas, knowledge taxonomy

Devanagari script

सर्गश् च प्रतिसर्गश् च वंशो मन्वन्तराणि च सर्वेष्व् एतेषु कथ्यन्ते वंशानुचरितं च यत्

Transliteration

sargaś ca pratisargaś ca vaṃśo manvantarāṇi ca sarveṣv eteṣu kathyante vaṃśānucaritaṃ ca yat

Translation

Creation and re-creation, the lines of descent, and the cycles of the Manus—within all these are told the chronicles that follow those dynasties as time unfolds.

Word by Word

• सर्गः: creation
• सर्गः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• प्रतिसर्गः: re-creation
• प्रतिसर्गः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prati + sarga (प्रातिपदिक; उपसर्गपूर्वक-नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• वंशः: lineage
• वंशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• मन्वन्तराणि: Manvantaras (periods of Manus)
• मन्वन्तराणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manu + antara (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मन्वः अन्तराणि)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• सर्वेषु: in all
• सर्वेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन; विशेषण (एतेषु)

• एतेषु: in these
• एतेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• कथ्यन्ते: are described
• कथ्यन्ते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kath (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), कर्मणि प्रयोग; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• वंशानुचरितम्: the subsequent history of dynasties
• वंशानुचरितम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṃśa + anucarita (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (वंशस्य अनुचरितम् = subsequent history of lineages)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: What contents are common to all Purāṇas (pañca-lakṣaṇa)

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Manvantara

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: A Purāṇa is characterized by sarga, pratisarga, vaṃśa, manvantara, and vaṃśānucarita—linking cosmic creation to historical time through dynastic narratives.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Study spiritual life as both metaphysical (origins and cycles) and ethical-historical (models of conduct in lineages), integrating worldview with lived dharma.

Vishishtadvaita: The cosmos and its histories are meaningful expressions within the Lord’s ordered governance, not illusory irrelevance—creation and time serve divine purpose.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Pratisarga
• Vamsha (dynastic lineages)

FAQs

What is the significance of Sarga and Pratisarga in the Vishnu Purana?

They define the Purāṇic view of time: the universe proceeds through repeated phases of origination (sarga) and renewed manifestation (pratisarga), establishing cosmic order as cyclical rather than linear.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of dynasties (vaṁśa) in Purāṇic teaching?

He presents dynastic lineages and their subsequent histories (vaṁśānucarita) as part of the same sacred framework as cosmology—human history is narrated as embedded within cosmic cycles like Manvantaras.

What is the theological importance of Vishnu in this context?

By defining the Purāṇa through creation cycles and ordered historical transmission, the text implies a sovereign, sustaining intelligence behind the cosmos—classically identified in the Vishnu Purana as Lord Vishnu, the ground of order across cycles and ages.