Shloka 54

अक्रूर-सत्कारः, मथुरायात्रा-विरहः, यमुनातटे दिव्यदर्शनम्, चतुर्व्यूह-नमस्कारः

Devanagari script

न कल्पनाम् ऋते ऽर्थस्य सर्वस्याधिगमो यतः ततः कृष्णाच्युतानन्तविष्णुसंज्ञाभिर् ईड्यसे

Transliteration

na kalpanām ṛte 'rthasya sarvasyādhigamo yataḥ tataḥ kṛṣṇācyutānantaviṣṇusaṃjñābhir īḍyase

Translation

Since, without conceptual formation, no meaning of anything can be apprehended, therefore, O Lord, you are praised by the names Kṛṣṇa, Acyuta, Ananta, and Viṣṇu.

Word by Word

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

• kalpanām: conception, imagination
• kalpanām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• ṛte: without
• ṛte: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ṛte (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादानार्थक-अव्यय (preposition-like: 'without/except')

• arthasya: of the meaning/thing
• arthasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• sarvasya: of all
• sarvasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of arthasya implied: 'of everything')

• adhigamaḥ: apprehension, understanding
• adhigamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhigama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• yataḥ: because
• yataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (causal relative adverb: 'because/whence')

• tataḥ: therefore
• tataḥ: Hetu/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: तस्मात्-अर्थे अव्यय (ablatival adverb: 'therefore/from that')

• kṛṣṇa-acyuta-ānanta-viṣṇu-saṃjñābhiḥ: by the names (such as) Krishna, Achyuta, Ananta, Vishnu
• kṛṣṇa-acyuta-ānanta-viṣṇu-saṃjñābhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + acyuta (प्रातिपदिक) + ānanta (प्रातिपदिक) + viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃjñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (नाम-समाहारः: 'कृष्णादि-संज्ञा')

• īḍyase: you are praised/worshipped
• īḍyase: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √īḍ (ईड्)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya; verse occurs within a praise describing Vishnu as the basis of cognition and reality)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Because cognition and meaning operate through conceptual designation, the Lord is worshipped through many divine names that render the transcendent approachable.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Adopt nāma-japa and stotra-recitation with the insight that names are compassionate ‘handles’ for fixing the mind on the Real.

Vishishtadvaita: Bridges nirguṇa transcendence with saguna accessibility: the same Brahman is legitimately praised as Kṛṣṇa/Acyuta/Ananta/Viṣṇu for devotion.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Vyuha Form: Vasudeva

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Krishna
• Achyuta
• Ananta

FAQs

What is the significance of concept-formation (kalpanā) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

The verse states that without kalpanā—mental/conceptual structuring—no object or meaning can be grasped, implying Vishnu is the ultimate basis that makes knowledge and intelligibility possible.

How does Sage Parāśara explain Vishnu’s relationship to knowledge here?

Parāśara frames Vishnu as the underlying ground from which comprehension arises, so even the human act of understanding depends upon the Supreme Lord’s all-pervading reality.

What is the theological importance of calling the Lord Krishna, Acyuta, Ananta, and Vishnu in this context?

These names function as philosophical epithets: the Lord is all-attractive (Kṛṣṇa), unfailing (Acyuta), infinite (Ananta), and all-pervading (Viṣṇu), reinforcing his status as the Supreme Reality sustaining both cosmos and cognition.