Shloka 33

प्रलय-त्रिविध-विभागः एवं प्राकृतप्रलय-वर्णनम्

Devanagari script

केचिद् रासभवर्णाभा लाक्षारसनिभास् तथा केचिद् वैडूर्यसंकाशा इन्द्रनीलनिभाः क्वचित्

Transliteration

kecid rāsabhavarṇābhā lākṣārasanibhās tathā kecid vaiḍūryasaṃkāśā indranīlanibhāḥ kvacit

Translation

Some appeared with the hue of a donkey; others gleamed like lac. Some shone like cat’s-eye gem, and in places some were like sapphire.

Word by Word

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• रासभवर्णाभाः: having a donkey-colored hue
• रासभवर्णाभाः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रासभ (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + आभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः: तत्पुरुष (रासभवर्णस्य आभा येषां ते = having the hue of a donkey’s color)

• लाक्षारसनिभाः: like lac-juice (reddish)
• लाक्षारसनिभाः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लाक्षा (प्रातिपदिक) + रस (प्रातिपदिक) + निभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः: तत्पुरुष (लाक्षारसवत् निभाः = like lac-juice)

• तथा: and likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः: समुच्चय/उपमानार्थक-क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb/conjunctive)

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• वैडूर्यसंकाशाः: resembling cat’s-eye gem
• वैडूर्यसंकाशाः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैडूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + संकाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः: तत्पुरुष (वैडूर्यवत् संकाशाः = resembling cat’s-eye gem)

• इन्द्रनीलनिभाः: like sapphire
• इन्द्रनीलनिभाः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इन्द्रनील (प्रातिपदिक) + निभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः: तत्पुरुष (इन्द्रनीलवत् निभाः = like sapphire)

• क्वचित्: in some places / at times
• क्वचित्: Kāla/Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb: 'somewhere/at times')

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Bhūmi (Earth)

FAQs

What is the significance of gem-like descriptions in the Vishnu Purana’s cosmology?

They emphasize the ordered diversity of the manifested world—variegated forms and qualities appearing across regions—within a coherent cosmic structure.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the world’s variety in this section?

Through concrete visual comparisons (lac, cat’s-eye, sapphire), Parāśara narrates how different places exhibit distinct appearances, reinforcing the Purāṇic mapping of Earth’s features.

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

Even when the verse is descriptive, the broader teaching frames creation’s multiplicity as functioning within a divinely sustained order—ultimately upheld by Vishnu as the supreme ground of the cosmos.