Shloka 35

प्रलय-त्रिविध-विभागः एवं प्राकृतप्रलय-वर्णनम्

Devanagari script

चाषपत्रनिभाः केचिद् उत्तिष्ठन्ति घना घनाः केचित् पुरवराकाराः केचित् पर्वतसंनिभाः

Transliteration

cāṣapatranibhāḥ kecid uttiṣṭhanti ghanā ghanāḥ kecit puravarākārāḥ kecit parvatasaṃnibhāḥ

Translation

Sebahagian gumpalan awan pekat bangkit berkilau seperti sayap burung cāṣa; sebahagian berkumpul menjadi lapisan tebal; sebahagian mengambil rupa kota-kota gemilang; dan sebahagian tampak seperti gunung—besar dan tidak berganjak di langit.

Word by Word

• चाषपत्रनिभाः: like cāṣa-feathers/leaves (i.e., of that appearance)
• चाषपत्रनिभाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चाषपत्र + निभ (प्रातिपदिक; चाषपत्र=bird-feather/‘cāṣa’-leaf/feather + निभ=like)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; adjectival)

• केचित्: some (of them)
• केचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; indefinite pronoun)

• उत्तिष्ठन्ति: rise up / stand forth
• उत्तिष्ठन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत्-स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (Present indicative, 3rd person plural, Parasmaipada)

• घनाः: clouds
• घनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• घनाः: dense
• घनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; adjectival)

• केचित्: some (others)
• केचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; indefinite pronoun)

• पुरवराकाराः: having the form of a great city
• पुरवराकाराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरवर + आकार (प्रातिपदिक; पुरवर=excellent city + आकार=form)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; adjectival)

• केचित्: some (others)
• केचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; indefinite pronoun)

• पर्वतसंनिभाः: resembling mountains
• पर्वतसंनिभाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर्वत + संनिभ (प्रातिपदिक; पर्वत=mountain + संनिभ=similar)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; adjectival)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Process and signs of dissolution (pralaya), especially the cosmic rains and clouds

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

FAQs

What is the significance of cloud imagery in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse uses varied cloud-forms—like wings, cities, and mountains—to communicate the vastness and ordered beauty of the cosmos described in Ansha 2.

How does Sage Parāśara explain cosmic order through natural descriptions?

By classifying visible phenomena (here, cloud shapes and densities), Parāśara presents the world as intelligible and structured—an expression of an underlying, governing order.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the cosmographic narration in the Vishnu Purana is framed as describing a universe sustained by the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—as its ground and regulator.