Shloka 33

Devanagari script

शिश्नं संवत्सरस् तस्य मित्रो ऽपानं समाश्रितः

Transliteration

śiśnaṃ saṃvatsaras tasya mitro 'pānaṃ samāśritaḥ

Translation

Nessa Pessoa cósmica, o órgão gerador é o próprio Ano; e Mitra ali habita, presidindo o sopro vital que desce, o Apāna.

Word by Word

• शिश्नम्: the penis
• शिश्नम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिश्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; यहाँ प्रथमा (सम्बन्ध-वर्णन)

• संवत्सरः: the year (Saṃvatsara)
• संवत्सरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• तस्य: of it / of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• मित्रः: Mitra
• मित्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अपानम्: apāna (downward vital breath)
• अपानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• समाश्रितः: has resorted to / is seated in
• समाश्रितः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे विशेषणवत्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How time (saṃvatsara) and prāṇa-functions correspond to limbs and deities within the cosmic Person

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Time (the Year) and life-breath functions are not inert forces but ordered divine powers within the cosmic Person, presided over by deities such as Mitra.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Use breath-awareness and time-discipline (daily/seasonal observances) as a form of reverent alignment with cosmic order.

Vishishtadvaita: Shows the world’s functions (kāla, prāṇa) as modes/attributes within the Lord’s body, supporting qualified non-dualism rather than an isolated, world-negating absolute.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)

Bhakti Type: Shanta (peaceful)

Antaryamin: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Mitra
• Apāna
• Saṃvatsara (the Year/Time-cycle)

FAQs

What is the significance of Saṃvatsara (the Year) in the Vishnu Purana’s body-cosmos mapping?

This verse treats the yearly cycle as a cosmic principle embodied as a limb, showing that time is not merely measured but is a governing power expressed through the cosmic person.

How does Sage Parāśara explain Apāna in this context?

Parāśara presents Apāna as a specific vital current with a divine regulator—Mitra—indicating that physiological functions mirror a higher cosmic order and discipline.

What is the theological importance of this verse for Vaishnava cosmology?

By linking bodily functions and time to divine presences, the text implies a universe permeated by supreme governance—where embodied life participates in a Vishnu-ordered reality rather than existing as a merely material mechanism.