Shloka 31

सोमचक्रः, ग्रह-रथाः, ध्रुवबन्धनं, शिशुमारसंनिवेशः, विष्णु-सर्वात्मकता

Moon, Planets, Dhruva-Tethering, Śiśumāra, and Vishnu as All

Devanagari script

उत्तानपादस् तस्याथ विज्ञेयो ह्य् उत्तरो हनुः यज्ञो ऽधरश् च विज्ञेयो धर्मो मूर्धानम् आश्रितः

Transliteration

uttānapādas tasyātha vijñeyo hy uttaro hanuḥ yajño 'dharaś ca vijñeyo dharmo mūrdhānam āśritaḥ

Translation

Sabe que Uttānapāda es su mandíbula superior; su mandíbula inferior ha de entenderse como Yajña (el orden del sacrificio). Y Dharma mora como su cabeza.

Word by Word

उत्तानपादःUttānapāda (name; lit. 'outstretched-foot')

तस्यof it/of him

अथthen/now

विज्ञेयःis to be understood/known

हिindeed/for

उत्तरःupper

हनुःjaw

यज्ञःsacrifice (Yajña)

अधरःlower

चand

विज्ञेयःis to be known

धर्मःDharma

मूर्धानम्head

आश्रितःhas occupied/is situated on

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

Vishnu

Virat-Purusha

Dharma

Yajna

Uttanapada

FAQs

What is the significance of Dharma being placed on the head in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents Dharma as the crowning principle of the cosmos—highest, governing, and integrative—showing that universal order is not separate from Vishnu’s supreme being but rests upon Him as His own ‘head.’

How does Sage Parashara explain Yajna in this context?

Parāśara identifies Yajña with the divine body itself (the lower jaw), implying that sacrifice is a cosmic function—an ordering power through which beings sustain creation and align with Vishnu’s sovereignty.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this mapping of body-parts to principles?

The mapping teaches that Vishnu, as the Supreme Reality, contains and upholds all ethical and ritual order—Dharma and Yajña are not merely human institutions but expressions of His all-pervading cosmic form.