Shloka 31

प्रलय-त्रिविध-विभागः एवं प्राकृतप्रलय-वर्णनम्

Devanagari script

ततो गजकुलप्रख्यास् तडिद्वन्तो निनादिनः उत्तिष्ठन्ति तदा व्योम्नि घोराः संवर्तका घनाः

Transliteration

tato gajakulaprakhyās taḍidvanto ninādinaḥ uttiṣṭhanti tadā vyomni ghorāḥ saṃvartakā ghanāḥ

Translation

Then, in the sky, the dreadful Saṃvartaka clouds arise—vast as herds of elephants, flashing with lightning and roaring with thunder—heralding the cosmos’ turn toward dissolution.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kāla/Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• गजकुलप्रख्याः: like a herd of elephants
• गजकुलप्रख्याः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक) + कुल (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन; समासः: तत्पुरुष (गजकुलवत् प्रख्याः = renowned/like a herd of elephants); विशेषणम् घनाः-शब्दस्य

• तडिद्वन्तः: having lightning
• तडिद्वन्तः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तडित् (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन; तद्धितान्त/मतुप्-अर्थ (possessing lightning)

• निनादिनः: roaring, resounding
• निनादिनः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निनादिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् घनाः-शब्दस्य

• उत्तिष्ठन्ति: arise, stand up
• उत्तिष्ठन्ति: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत्-स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तदा: at that time
• तदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषणम् (temporal adverb)

• व्योम्नि: in the sky
• व्योम्नि: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्योमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• घोराः: terrible
• घोराः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् घनाः-शब्दस्य

• संवर्तकाः: apocalyptic, world-ending
• संवर्तकाः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संवर्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् घनाः-शब्दस्य

• घनाः: clouds
• घनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even the terrifying forces of dissolution (Saṃvartaka clouds, thunder, lightning) arise in strict obedience to the Supreme’s governing will.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Face fear and change by remembering that all transformations occur within divine governance, strengthening equanimity.

Vishishtadvaita: The cosmos is a real, ordered manifestation under the Supreme Person’s control, not a random or independent process.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Saṃvartaka clouds
• Sky (Vyoman)
• Lightning (Taḍit)

FAQs

What is the significance of the Saṃvartaka clouds in the Vishnu Purana?

They are the portentous dissolution-clouds that rise at the approach of pralaya, marking the cosmos’ return toward unmanifest order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain pralaya imagery in this passage?

He uses vivid natural symbolism—elephantine cloud-masses, lightning, and thunder—to convey the irresistible, law-governed onset of cosmic dissolution.

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

Even when dissolution is described through natural forces, the Purana frames the process as operating under the supreme governance of Vishnu, the ultimate ground of order and time.