Shloka 16

Devanagari script

यथा तत्र जगद् धाम्नि धातर्य् एतत् प्रतिष्ठितम् सदसत् तेन सत्येन मय्य् असौ यातु सौम्यताम्

Transliteration

yathā tatra jagad dhāmni dhātary etat pratiṣṭhitam sadasat tena satyena mayy asau yātu saumyatām

Translation

As there, in that cosmic abode, the whole universe—manifest and unmanifest—stands established in the Sustainer, so by that very Truth may this one become gentle and attain peace in Me.

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (as/just as)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: there)

• जगत्: the world
• जगत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.)

• धाम्नि: in the abode
• धाम्नि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचन (Loc. sg.)

• धातरि: in the sustainer/creator
• धातरि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचन (Loc. sg.)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.)

• प्रतिष्ठितम्: is established
• प्रतिष्ठितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; (is) established

• सत्: being/existent
• सत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.)

• असत्: non-being/nonexistent
• असत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.)

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; तृतीया एकवचन (Instr. sg.)

• सत्येन: by (this) truth
• सत्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचन (Instr. sg.)

• मयि: in me
• मयि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी एकवचन (Loc. sg.)

• असौ: he/that one
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन (Nom. sg.)

• यातु: may he go/attain
• यातु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative/benedictive sense); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन (3rd sg.)

• सौम्यताम्: gentleness/benignity
• सौम्यताम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौम्यता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (continuing the doctrinal narration to Maitreya)

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Brahmanda (universe)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To protect dharma by removing Kamsa’s tyranny and to bestow refuge through his manifest presence in Vraja.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Refuge in Vishnu as the sustaining ground of both manifest and unmanifest reality; inner peace through surrender

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: As the universe (manifest and unmanifest) abides in the Sustainer, so by that Truth the devotee prays for pacification and absorption in Him.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Use remembrance and truth-speaking prayer (satyavacana) to calm reactive emotions and re-center the mind in God as the support of all.

Vishishtadvaita: Vishnu is both transcendent support of the cosmos and the immanent controller in whom beings find saumyatā (pacified repose).

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Dhātṛ (the Sustainer/Creator aspect)

FAQs

What is the significance of sat and asat in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It presents the cosmos as including both manifest existence (sat) and unmanifest potential (asat), and declares that both are ultimately established in the divine sustainer—underscoring Vishnu as the ground of all reality.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the power of Satya (Truth) here?

He invokes Satya not as mere speech-truth but as the cosmic principle by which the universe remains established; by appealing to that Truth, he expresses a wish that disorder or agitation resolves into calmness.

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

Vishnu is implied as the supreme support in whom the totality—visible and invisible—rests; the verse aligns with Vaishnava metaphysics where peace and auspiciousness are attained by returning to that ultimate foundation.