Shloka 82

Devanagari script

वलीत्रिभङ्गिना मग्ननाभिना चोदरेण वै प्रलम्बाष्टभुजं विष्णुम् अथवापि चतुर्भुजम्

Transliteration

valītribhaṅginā magnanābhinā codareṇa vai pralambāṣṭabhujaṃ viṣṇum athavāpi caturbhujam

Translation

One should contemplate Viṣṇu—slender and gracefully triple-bent, with a deep-set navel and a gently rounded belly—either as the majestic, long-limbed Lord with eight arms, or else as the four-armed Supreme.

Word by Word

• वलीत्रिभङ्गिना: with the threefold bend (and folds)
• वलीत्रिभङ्गिना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वली (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रिभङ्गिन् (त्रि+भङ्गिन्; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘वलीभिः त्रिभङ्गः यस्य’

• मग्ननाभिना: with a deep/sunken navel
• मग्ननाभिना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मग्न (मज् धातु; कृदन्त) + नाभि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘मग्ना नाभिः यस्य’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• उदरेण: with the belly/abdomen
• उदरेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक/पदार्थनिश्चय (emphatic particle)

• प्रलम्बाष्टभुजम्: eight-armed, with long arms
• प्रलम्बाष्टभुजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रलम्ब (प्रातिपदिक) + अष्ट (संख्या; प्रातिपदिक) + भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘प्रलम्बाः भुजाः यस्य’ तथा ‘अष्ट भुजाः यस्य’ (अष्टभुज इति बहुव्रीह्यर्थे प्रचलितम्, परन्तु रूपेण तत्पुरुषसमासः)

• विष्णुम्: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• अथवा: or else
• अथवा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथवा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive ‘or’)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ (also/even)

• चतुर्भुजम्: four-armed
• चतुर्भुजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या; प्रातिपदिक) + भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (संख्यापूर्वपद)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya in a descriptive/meditative sequence)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Method of dhāraṇā: how to contemplate Viṣṇu’s form

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dhyāna may take different canonical iconographic forms (caturbhuja or aṣṭabhuja), yet the same Supreme Viṣṇu is the object of concentration.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Choose one consistent, tradition-backed form for daily meditation; allow no conflict over forms—use them as supports for single-pointedness.

Vishishtadvaita: One Lord with many real, auspicious modes (forms) remains numerically one and supremely personal.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the significance of Vishnu being described as four-armed or eight-armed in the Vishnu Purana?

It presents legitimate meditative visualizations of the same Supreme Vishnu—multiple arms signify superhuman sovereignty and the capacity to uphold cosmic order through many powers at once.

How does Sage Parāśara explain meditation on Vishnu’s form in this context?

Parāśara gives concrete bodily and iconographic features as supports for dhyāna, guiding the mind to steady itself on Vishnu as the highest Lord while allowing variant traditional forms.

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

Vishnu is upheld as the supreme object of contemplation—his manifest, describable form becomes a devotional gateway to the transcendent Lord who governs and sustains the universe.