Shloka 26

Adhyaya 59 — Cosmic Geography and Yuga-Order: Bhadrashva, Ketumala, and the Northern Kuru Region

Sanskrit

वनेषु तेषु वर्षेषु शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः ।

तत्रापि भगवान् विष्णुः प्राक्शिरा मत्स्यरूपवान् ॥

Transliteration

vaneṣu teṣu varṣeṣu śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ | tatrāpi bhagavān viṣṇuḥ prākśirā matsya-rūpavān ||

Translation

ఆ ప్రాంతాల అరణ్యాలలో వందలుగా, వేలలుగా ఉన్న చోట్ల, అక్కడ కూడా భగవాన్ విష్ణువు—ప్రాక్షిరా—మత్స్యరూపాన్ని ధరించి సన్నిహితంగా ఉన్నాడు.

Word by Word

• वनेषु: in forests
• वनेषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), बहुवचन; locative plural

• तेषु: in those
• तेषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), बहुवचन; locative plural pronoun

• वर्षेषु: in the regions (varṣas)
• वर्षेषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), बहुवचन; locative plural

• शतशः: by hundreds
• शतशः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शतशस् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) ‘by hundreds’

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle) sequence ‘then/now’

• सहस्रशः: by thousands
• सहस्रशः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशस् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) ‘by thousands’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb)

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

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; honorific adjective used as noun

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• प्राक्शिराः: with the head turned eastward/frontward
• प्राक्शिराः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राक्-शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव ‘having head in front/eastward’ (prāk + śiras)

• मत्स्य-रूपवान्: having the form of a fish
• मत्स्य-रूपवान्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मत्स्य-रूपवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष ‘possessing the form of a fish’

Speakers

• Mārkaṇḍeya (narrator)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "bhakti", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu (Matsya)

Key Themes

• Vaiṣṇava theophany
• Avatāra motif
• Sacred geography as divine habitation

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Divinity is not confined to temples or human lands; the Purāṇic world is saturated with sacred presence, implying reverence toward all realms of creation.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

An avatāra/theophany embedded within cosmography; broadly supports sarga/pratisarga narrative texture rather than vamśa/manvantara chronology.

What is the esoteric significance?

Matsya suggests salvation through guidance across the 'flood' of saṃsāra; placing this form in distant forests universalizes the saving function beyond a single historical episode.