Shloka 4

उपसंहारः, वैष्णवपुराण-प्रशंसा, फलश्रुति, परम्परा-प्रवहः (पाठ-श्रवण-फलम्)

Devanagari script

तुभ्यं यथावन् मैत्रेय प्रोक्तं शुश्रूषवे ऽव्ययम् यद् अन्यद् अपि वक्तव्यं तत् पृच्छाद्य वदामि ते

Transliteration

tubhyaṃ yathāvan maitreya proktaṃ śuśrūṣave 'vyayam yad anyad api vaktavyaṃ tat pṛcchādya vadāmi te

Translation

O Maitreya, to you who long to listen I have spoken the imperishable truth exactly as it should be. If anything still remains to be said, ask now; I shall tell it to you.

Word by Word

• तुभ्यम्: to you
• तुभ्यम्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Pronoun, Dative, Singular)

• यथावत्: properly; in due order
• यथावत्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb)

• मैत्रेय: O Maitreya
• मैत्रेय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• प्रोक्तम्: told; declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + √वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (PPP in -kta; Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• शुश्रूषवे: to the attentive listener; to one who wishes to hear
• शुश्रूषवे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुश्रूषु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Dative, Singular)

• अव्ययम्: imperishable; undecaying
• अव्ययम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; adjectival)

• यत्: whatever/that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter relative pronoun, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• अन्यत्: other (thing)
• अन्यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• अपि: also; even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-निपात (indeclinable particle; also/even)

• वक्तव्यम्: to be said; should be spoken
• वक्तव्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु) → वक्तव्य (कृदन्त; तव्यत्)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (तव्यत्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Gerundive/obligatory; Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter pronoun, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• पृच्छ: ask
• पृच्छ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (Imperative, 2nd person, Singular)

• अद्य: today/now
• अद्य: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb of time)

• वदामि: I say; I will tell
• वदामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present, 1st person, Singular)

• ते: to you/for you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive/Dative enclitic, Singular)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Closure of instruction: Parāśara affirms he has taught the imperishable truth to an eager listener and invites further questions.

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: compassionate

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Imperishable truth (avyaya) is properly communicated through disciplined listening and a living teacher-student dialogue.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Cultivate śuśrūṣā (earnest listening), ask precise questions, and seek clarification rather than accumulating unintegrated information.

Vishishtadvaita: The ‘imperishable’ is knowable not as abstract monism alone but as the Lord’s enduring reality disclosed through scripture and realized by grace-guided inquiry.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman (philosophical)

Bhakti Type: Dasya (servant)

Characters & Entities

• Maitreya

FAQs

What is the significance of “avyaya” (imperishable) in this verse of the Vishnu Purana?

It marks the teaching as enduring truth—not merely historical detail—implying a stable metaphysical foundation that the Purana attributes ultimately to the Supreme Lord’s reality.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of questioning in the Vishnu Purana?

He explicitly invites Maitreya to ask what remains, showing the Purana’s structure as a guided inquiry where doctrine, cosmology, and dharma unfold through question-and-answer.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in this specific line, the “imperishable” teaching signals the Purana’s core aim: to ground all narration—creation, time-cycles, and dharma—in the Supreme Reality identified with Vishnu.