Shloka 55
Kāruṇya-stotra Phalaśruti; Dream-Darśana of Vāsudeva; Manifestation and Pratiṣṭhā of Jagannātha, Balabhadra (Ananta), and Subhadrā
ततस्तस्मै स विश्वात्मा तदाकारां तदाकृतिम् । शिल्पिमुख्याय विधिजे कुरुष्वेत्यभ्यभाषत ॥ ५५ ॥
tatastasmai sa viśvātmā tadākārāṃ tadākṛtim | śilpimukhyāya vidhije kuruṣvetyabhyabhāṣata || 55 ||
ततः स विश्वात्मा विधिजं शिल्पिमुख्यं ब्रह्माणम् अभ्यभाषत—“तदाकारं तदाकृतिं च एव कुरुष्व” इति ॥
Narrator (Purana narration describing the Universal Self addressing Brahma; within the larger Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue frame)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents sacred form (ākāra/ākṛti) as originating in the Universal Self, implying that divine iconography is not merely artistic but a sanctioned manifestation of transcendence for dharmic worship.
By grounding the deity’s form in the Viśvātmā, the verse supports bhakti practices like darśana and pūjā—devotion becomes a focused approach to the all-pervading reality through a divinely authorized form.
It most closely connects to Kalpa (ritual procedure) and Śilpa-śāstra style application—how a sanctioned divine form is to be fashioned for worship—rather than grammar or astrology.