Shloka 59

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

Devanagari script

सुराः समस्ताः सुरनाथ कार्यम् एभिर् मया यच् च तद् ईश सर्वम् आज्ञापयाज्ञां परिपालयन्तस् तथैव तिष्ठाम सदास्तदोषाः

Transliteration

surāḥ samastāḥ suranātha kāryam ebhir mayā yac ca tad īśa sarvam ājñāpayājñāṃ paripālayantas tathaiva tiṣṭhāma sadāstadoṣāḥ

Translation

“O Lord of the gods, all the Devas together declare: whatever task is to be accomplished by us—indeed, whatever is ours to do—belongs wholly to You, the Supreme Ruler. Command us; and, keeping faithfully to Your command, we shall remain ever as we are—free from fault—established in obedience to Your ordinance.”

Word by Word

• surāḥ: the gods
• surāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• samastāḥ: all, entire
• samastāḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• sura-nātha: O lord of the gods
• sura-nātha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक) + nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सुराणां नाथः)

• kāryam: the task
• kāryam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अर्थतः ‘कार्यं’ = ‘task/matter’

• ebhiḥ: by these
• ebhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• yat: whatever (which)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘that’

• īśa: O Lord
• īśa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• ājñāpaya: command; order
• ājñāpaya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√jñā (ज्ञा धातु; आज्ञापने)
• Form: लोट् (imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ājñām: the command
• ājñām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ājñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• paripālayantaḥ: observing; carrying out
• paripālayantaḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√pāl (पाल् धातु; रक्षणे)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ/शतॄ), प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; ‘while obeying/maintaining’

• tathā: thus
• tathā: Connector (Avyaya/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय (adverb)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Discourse particle (Nipāta/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• tiṣṭhāma: we stand/remain
• tiṣṭhāma: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (स्था धातु; स्थितौ)
• Form: लट् (present/वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• sadā: always
• sadā: Adverbial (Kāla/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• asta-doṣāḥ: with faults removed
• asta-doṣāḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: asta (कृदन्त; √as/अस् धातु? ‘set/removed’; here ‘destroyed’) + doṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; समासः—बहुव्रीहिः (अस्ताः/नष्टाः दोषाः येषाम्)

Speaker

Devas (collective voice), as quoted within Parāśara’s narration to Maitreya

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The devas’ surrender and acknowledgement that all agency and tasks belong to the Supreme Lord

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: compassionate

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: All divine and cosmic functions are ultimately the Lord’s work; the gods act rightly by obedience to His command, relinquishing independent doership.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice īśvara-ārpaṇa and īśvara-prasāda-buddhi: offer actions to the Lord and accept outcomes as His ordinance.

Vishishtadvaita: Expresses śeṣatva (the devas as dependent servants) and the Lord as śeṣin (supreme ruler), aligning agency with divine sovereignty rather than isolated self-doership.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Devas

FAQs

What is the significance of divine command (ājñā) in this verse of the Vishnu Purana?

It presents cosmic order as rooted in the Supreme Lord’s ordinance: even the Devas act correctly and become “faultless” by faithfully executing His command.

How does Sage Parāśara frame the role of the Devas in relation to the Supreme Lord?

By quoting their submission, Parāśara depicts the Devas not as independent rulers but as administrators whose duties succeed only through obedience to the Lord’s sovereignty.

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

The verse underscores a Vaishnava principle: Vishnu as Īśa is the ultimate source of authority and agency, with all divine functions operating under His supreme governance.