Shloka 68

Devanagari script

एतान्य् अशेषरूपाणि तस्य रूपाणि पार्थिव यतस् तच्छक्तियोगेन युक्तानि नभसा यथा

Transliteration

etāny aśeṣarūpāṇi tasya rūpāṇi pārthiva yatas tacchaktiyogena yuktāni nabhasā yathā

Translation

O King, all these—endless in variety—are indeed His forms; for they are joined to Him through the union of His own powers, just as all things are held together and sustained by the sky.

Word by Word

• एतानि: these
• एतानि: कर्ता/कर्म (Subject/Object per context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम-रूप

• अशेष-रूपाणि: all forms without remainder
• अशेष-रूपाणि: विशेष्य/विशेषण-भाव (Appositional)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशेष (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; समासः—अशेषाणि रूपाणि (all forms)

• तस्य: of him / of that
• तस्य: षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• रूपाणि: forms
• रूपाणि: कर्ता/कर्म (Subject/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन

• पार्थिव: O king (earthly ruler)
• पार्थिव: सम्बोधन (Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• यतः: since / from which
• यतः: हेतु/सम्बन्ध (Causal/Relative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतः (अव्यय/यद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय, तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (relative adverb): 'since/wherefrom'

• तत्: that
• तत्: सम्बन्ध (Correlative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• शक्ति-योगेन: by the connection of (his) power
• शक्ति-योगेन: करण (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; समासः—शक्तेः योगः (connection/union by power)

• युक्तानि: joined, connected
• युक्तानि: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युज् (धातु) → युक्त (क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (joined/connected)

• नभसा: with the sky / by the sky
• नभसा: करण (Instrument/Comparison basis)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नभस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• यथा: as, just like
• यथा: उपमान (Simile marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उपमानवाचक (comparative particle: as/like)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How manifold divine forms remain united to the Supreme through His śakti

Teaching: Philosophical

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Brahmanda (universe)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: All diverse forms are truly His, bound to Him by the connection of His own powers, as beings abide and are sustained within space.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Practice seeing the divine support in all beings and roles—replacing fragmentation with integrated God-centered vision.

Vishishtadvaita: Difference of forms is real, yet all are inseparably related to the Lord through śakti (apr̥thak-siddhi style dependence).

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the significance of “countless forms” of Vishnu in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames plurality as real manifestations grounded in Vishnu—His forms are innumerable, yet unified through His śakti, preserving divine sovereignty over the cosmos.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the connection between the Lord and the world here?

He explains that all manifestations remain connected to Vishnu by “tac-chakti-yoga”—the union of His power—so the world is not independent but sustained by divine potency.

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

Vishnu is presented as the supreme ground in whom all forms abide and through whose power they cohere—supporting a Vaishnava view where the universe depends on the Lord’s sustaining presence.