Shloka 40

Cosmic Appointments, Viṣṇu’s Vibhūtis, Fourfold Operation, and the Symbolism of Ornaments and Weapons

Devanagari script

तच् च ज्ञानमयं व्यापि स्वसंवेद्यम् अनौपमम् चतुष्प्रकारं तद् अपि स्वरूपं परमात्मनः

Transliteration

tac ca jñānamayaṃ vyāpi svasaṃvedyam anaupamam catuṣprakāraṃ tad api svarūpaṃ paramātmanaḥ

Translation

ಆ ಪರಮ ತತ್ತ್ವವು ಜ್ಞಾನ-ಚೈತನ್ಯಸ್ವರೂಪ—ಸರ್ವವ್ಯಾಪಿ, ಸ್ವಯಂಪ್ರಕಾಶ, ಸ್ವತಃ ಅನುಭವಿಸಬಹುದಾದುದು, ಉಪಮೆಯಿಲ್ಲದ್ದು. ಅದೇ ಪರಮಾತ್ಮನ ಸ್ವರೂಪವೂ ನಾಲ್ಕು ವಿಧವೆಂದು ಹೇಳಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿದೆ।

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (सन्दर्भानुसार ‘यह/वह’)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक conjunction)

• ज्ञान-मयम्: consisting of knowledge
• ज्ञान-मयम्: Karta (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक) + मयट्-प्रत्ययान्त ‘मय’ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (ज्ञानेन/ज्ञानरूपेण मयम्)

• व्यापि: all-pervading
• व्यापि: Karta (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यापिन् (प्रातिपदिक; √व्याप् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• स्व-संवेद्यम्: self-cognizable
• स्व-संवेद्यम्: Karta (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + संवेद्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √विद् धातु, सं-उपसर्ग; -य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (स्वेन संवेद्यम् = स्वयं-प्रकाश्य/स्वानुभवगम्य)

• अनौपमम्: incomparable
• अनौपमम्: Karta (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनौपम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• चतुष्-प्रकारम्: of four kinds
• चतुष्-प्रकारम्: Karta (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुस् (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (चत्वारः प्रकाराः यस्य)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

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

• स्वरूपम्: essential nature, form
• स्वरूपम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• परमात्मनः: of the Supreme Self
• परमात्मनः: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम-आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (परमः आत्मा)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The supreme truth is consciousness itself—pervading all, self-revealing, incomparable—and the Supreme Self’s nature is described as fourfold.

Vedantic Theme: Atman

Application: Practice inward recollection (smṛti) and discrimination: notice awareness as self-evident, then orient devotion toward the Lord who is that all-pervading consciousness.

Vishishtadvaita: ‘Vyāpi’ supports the Lord’s immanence (antaryāmitva) while ‘anaupama’ preserves transcendence; the ‘fourfold’ points toward Pāñcarātra catur-vyūha articulation of the one divinity.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Vyuha Form: Vasudeva

Antaryamin: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Paramatman

FAQs

What is the significance of describing the Supreme as svasaṃvedya (self-cognized) in the Vishnu Purana?

It indicates that the Supreme Reality is self-revealing consciousness, not dependent on any external proof or instrument of knowledge, emphasizing transcendence and immediacy.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the nature of the Paramatman here?

He presents the Paramatman as knowledge itself, all-pervading, incomparable, and directly self-known—then notes that this same reality is taught through a fourfold characterization.

What is the theological importance of Vishnu in this context?

The verse supports a Vaishnava Vedantic view of Vishnu as the Supreme Self: omnipresent, self-luminous, and unmatched—grounding devotion and metaphysics in one ultimate reality.