Shloka 8

शिशुमार-रूपं, ध्रुवबन्धनम्, वृष्टिचक्र-पालनम्, नारायणाधारत्वम्

Devanagari script

येन विप्र विधानेन तन् ममैकमनाः शृणु विवस्वान् अष्टभिर् मासैर् आदायापो रसान्विताः वर्षत्य् अम्बु ततश् चान्नम् अन्नाद् अप्य् अखिलं जगत्

Transliteration

yena vipra vidhānena tan mamaikamanāḥ śṛṇu vivasvān aṣṭabhir māsair ādāyāpo rasānvitāḥ varṣaty ambu tataś cānnam annād apy akhilaṃ jagat

Translation

婆羅門よ、一心にしてこの理法を聞け。ヴィヴァスヴァーン（太陽）は八か月のあいだ、水をその精味とともに吸い上げ、のちにそれを雨として降らせる。雨より食（穀）が生じ、食によってこそ全世界は養われる。

Word by Word

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे ‘by which/whereby’

• विप्र: O brāhmaṇa
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• विधानेन: by the method/arrangement
• विधानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मम: my
• मम: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• एकमनाः: single-minded
• एकमनाः: Karta (Implied subject ‘you’ qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (एकं मनः यस्य)

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विवस्वान्: Vivasvān (the Sun)
• विवस्वान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवस्वत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अष्टभिः: with eight
• अष्टभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक विशेषण

• मासैः: months
• मासैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: Kriya-viseshana (Gerundial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive); ‘having taken’

• आपः: waters
• आपः: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्/आप् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (बहुवचन-प्रातिपदिक), द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• रसान्विताः: endowed with sap/essence
• रसान्विताः: Karta (Qualifier of आपः/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रस (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्वित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √इ ‘to go’ with anu)
• Form: क्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘रसैः अन्विताः’

• वर्षति: rains
• वर्षति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अम्बु: water
• अम्बु: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ततः: then/from that
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रयोग (adverb) ‘thereupon/from that’

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

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अन्नात्: from food
• अन्नात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) ‘also/even’

• अखिलम्: entire
• अखिलम्: Karta (Qualifier of जगत्/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अखिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• जगत्: world
• जगत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The ordinance (vidhāna) of rainfall and food-production sustaining the world.

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: compassionate

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: By divine ordinance, the Sun draws up waters for eight months and releases them as rain, from which food arises and thereby the world is sustained.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Honor ecological cycles as sacred—practice gratitude before food, conserve water, and align livelihood with dharmic stewardship.

Vishishtadvaita: Natural laws function as the Lord’s niyati (ordinance): a real world-process governed from within by the Supreme.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vivasvān (Sun)
• Waters (Āpaḥ)
• Rain (Varṣa)
• Food/Grain (Anna)
• World (Jagat)

FAQs

What is the significance of the Sun drawing up water for eight months in the Vishnu Purana?

It presents the hydrological and seasonal cycle as a regulated cosmic ordinance: the Sun gathers the waters’ essence over most of the year and then releases them as rain, ensuring continuity of life.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the link between rain, food, and the world’s survival?

Parāśara lays out a causal chain—rain produces grain, and grain sustains all beings—showing that material prosperity and life itself depend on the ordered functioning of nature.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇic framework treats such cosmic regulation as operating under the Supreme Lord’s sovereignty—Vishnu upholds the world through lawful processes like the Sun’s course, rainfall, and nourishment.