Shloka 24

वैष्णवीमायावितानम्, उग्रसेनाभिषेकः, सुधर्मासभा, सांदीपनिगमनम्, पाञ्चजन्य-प्राप्तिः, गुरुदक्षिणा

Devanagari script

सो ऽप्य् अतीन्द्रियम् आलोक्य तयोः कर्म महामतिः अयाचत मृतं पुत्रं प्रभासे लवणार्णवे

Transliteration

so 'py atīndriyam ālokya tayoḥ karma mahāmatiḥ ayācata mṛtaṃ putraṃ prabhāse lavaṇārṇave

Translation

Beholding that suprasensory marvel and understanding the power of their deed, the great-souled one at Prabhāsa, on the shore of the salt ocean, implored them for the return of his son who had died.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• अतीन्द्रियम्: beyond the senses
• अतीन्द्रियम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतीन्द्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (acc. sg.)

• आलोक्य: having seen
• आलोक्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-लोक् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययभावे), पूर्वकालिक; ‘having seen/observed’ (gerund)

• तयोः: of the two
• तयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), द्विवचन (gen. du.)

• कर्म: deed
• कर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन (acc. sg.)

• महा-मतिḥ: the great-minded one
• महा-मतिḥ: Karta (Subject-apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + मति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘महती मतिः यस्य सः’ (as epithet, nom. sg.)

• अयाचत: asked/begged
• अयाचत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: याच् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (भूतकाल), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (imperfect, 3rd sg.)

• मृतम्: dead
• मृतम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (प्रातिपदिक; √मृ कृदन्त-भूत)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (acc. sg.)

• पुत्रम्: son
• पुत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन (acc. sg.)

• प्रभासे: at Prabhāsa
• प्रभासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन (loc. sg.)

• लवण-अर्णवे: in the salt ocean
• लवण-अर्णवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लवण (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘लवणः अर्णवः’ (loc. sg.)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Kṛṣṇa-carita (guru-dakṣiṇā and retrieval of Sāndīpani’s son)

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: compassionate

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: He restores a guru’s lost son, showcasing compassion and mastery over death-bound conditions to uphold dharma.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Pitṛ-dharma and guru-dharma through restoring the teacher’s family; compassion (dayā) allied with divine power.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: True power is expressed as compassionate service to the worthy—here, the guru—transforming grief into grace.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Let devotion manifest as concrete help to teachers and elders; respond to suffering with service rather than display.

Vishishtadvaita: Bhagavān’s grace operates within embodied relationships (guru, family), affirming the world as a real field for divine compassion.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Lavaṇārṇava (the sea)
• A great-minded petitioner (mahāmatiḥ)

FAQs

What is the significance of the term atīndriya (suprasensory) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It signals an event beyond ordinary perception—an extraordinary, dharma-governed power that points to a higher order operating through sacred persons and places.

How does Sage Parāśara frame requests for boons in this context?

Parāśara presents the request as arising from witnessing proven spiritual efficacy (“their deed”), implying that boons are sought when divine or ritual power has been tangibly demonstrated.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here, even though He is not named?

The verse reflects a Vishnu Purana theme: the world’s extraordinary turns—life, death, and restoration—ultimately rest within a supreme, orderly sovereignty that Vaishnava theology identifies with Vishnu.