Shloka 9

स्वर्गगमनम्, अदितिस्तुतिः-मायातत्त्वम्, तथा पारिजात-प्रसङ्गे इन्द्रयुद्धम्

Devanagari script

संध्या रात्रिर् अहो भूमिर् गगनं वायुर् अम्बु च हुताशनो मनो बुद्धिर् भूतादिस् त्वं तथाच्युत

Transliteration

saṃdhyā rātrir aho bhūmir gaganaṃ vāyur ambu ca hutāśano mano buddhir bhūtādis tvaṃ tathācyuta

Translation

You are twilight, and You are night; You are day; You are the earth. You are the sky, the wind, and the waters; You are fire. You are mind and intellect; and You are the beginning-source of beings as well—thus are You, O Acyuta, the unfailing Lord.

Word by Word

• संध्या: twilight
• संध्या: Pratipādya (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃdhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• रात्रिः: night
• रात्रिः: Pratipādya (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अहः: day
• अहः: Pratipādya (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahar (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• भूमिः: earth
• भूमिः: Pratipādya (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• गगनम्: sky
• गगनम्: Pratipādya (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gagana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• वायुः: wind
• वायुः: Pratipādya (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अम्बु: water
• अम्बु: Pratipādya (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ambu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• हुताशनः: fire (the eater of offerings)
• हुताशनः: Pratipādya (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hutāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• मनः: mind
• मनः: Pratipādya (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• बुद्धिः: intellect
• बुद्धिः: Pratipādya (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• भूतादिः: the elements and the rest (primordial categories)
• भूतादिः: Pratipādya (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तथा: thus, likewise
• तथा: Sambandha/Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• अच्युत: O Acyuta (the unfailing one)
• अच्युत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: acyuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya; hymn-like identification of Vishnu with the cosmos)

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Secondary

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: All temporal phases, elements, and inner faculties are pervaded by and identifiable with Acyuta, inviting viśvarūpa-darśana (seeing the cosmos as the Lord).

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Practice ‘sarvaṃ vāsudevam’: in daily life, consciously regard time (day/night) and the elements as the Lord’s presence, transforming perception into devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: Expresses the world as the Lord’s mode/body (śarīra-śarīrī-bhāva): plurality remains real yet inseparable from the indwelling Nārāyaṇa.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu (Acyuta)

FAQs

What is the significance of identifying Vishnu with twilight, day, and night in the Vishnu Purana?

It presents Vishnu as the sovereign ground of time and cosmic rhythm, implying that all temporal transitions and order rest in Him.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the relationship between Vishnu and the elements here?

By listing earth, space, air, water, and fire as ‘You are…’, Parāśara frames the elements as dependent expressions of Vishnu’s all-pervading reality rather than independent ultimate principles.

What is the theological importance of calling Vishnu ‘Acyuta’ in this context?

Acyuta underscores the Lord’s unfailing, unchanging supremacy even while appearing as the changing cosmos—supporting a Vaishnava view where the world is pervaded and sustained by the immutable Supreme.