Shloka 51

देवकी-विवाहः, आकाशवाणी, भूरभारावतरण-याचना, क्षीराब्धि-स्तुति, केशावतार-नियोजनम्

Devanagari script

नाकारणात् कारणाद् वा कारणाकारणान् न च शरीरग्रहणं व्यापिन् धर्मत्राणाय ते परम्

Transliteration

nākāraṇāt kāraṇād vā kāraṇākāraṇān na ca śarīragrahaṇaṃ vyāpin dharmatrāṇāya te param

Translation

O all-pervading Lord, Your assuming a body is not driven by causelessness, nor by any cause, nor by a blend of cause and no-cause; it is undertaken solely for the supreme aim of protecting Dharma.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• akāraṇāt: from non-cause / without cause
• akāraṇāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक: a- + kāraṇa)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• kāraṇāt: from a cause
• kāraṇāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• kāraṇa-akāraṇān: (as) causes and non-causes
• kāraṇa-akāraṇān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa + akāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• śarīra-grahaṇam: the taking of a body
• śarīra-grahaṇam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarīra + grahaṇa (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (śarīrasya grahaṇam), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• vyāpin: O all-pervading one
• vyāpin: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāpin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• dharma-trāṇāya: for the protection of dharma
• dharma-trāṇāya: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma + trāṇa (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (dharmasya trāṇam), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन

• te: of you / your
• te: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• param: supreme / highest
• param: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (addressing Vishnu while explaining the doctrine to Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Bhagavān’s embodiment is a free, compassionate act for dharma-rakṣaṇa, not a karma-driven necessity.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Contemplate divine grace as purposeful guidance and align personal choices with dharma rather than fatalism.

Vishishtadvaita: The Supreme is independent (svatantra) yet voluntarily engages the world for dharma—transcendent while actively governing creation.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the significance of Vishnu taking a body in this verse of the Vishnu Purana?

The verse states that Vishnu’s embodiment is not forced by causality or karma; it is a sovereign, purposeful descent undertaken to protect Dharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the cause of avatāra here?

Parāśara denies all ordinary causal explanations (cause, no-cause, or both) and frames avatāra as a supreme, deliberate act centered on dharma-trāṇa—preserving cosmic and moral order.

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

Vishnu is presented as the all-pervading Supreme Reality whose freedom and sovereignty allow Him to manifest for the world’s welfare, establishing Dharma as a central purpose of divine action.