Shloka 53

सर्गभेदाः — अविद्या, स्रोतोभेदाः, नव सर्गाः, देवासुरादिसृष्टिः, वेद-यज्ञप्रादुर्भावः

Devanagari script

गायत्रं च ऋचश् चैव त्रिवृत्साम रथन्तरम् अग्निष्टोमं च यज्ञानां निर्ममे प्रथमान् मुखात्

Transliteration

gāyatraṃ ca ṛcaś caiva trivṛtsāma rathantaram agniṣṭomaṃ ca yajñānāṃ nirmame prathamān mukhāt

Translation

ఆ ఆదిమ ముఖం నుండి ప్రభువు మొదట గాయత్రీ ఛందస్సు, ఋక్ మంత్రాలను సృష్టించాడు; త్రివృత్ సామం, రథంతర గానాన్ని వెలువరించాడు; యజ్ఞాలలో శ్రేష్ఠమైన అగ్నిష్టోమాన్ని విధించాడు।

Word by Word

• गायत्रम्: Gāyatra (chant/metre)
• गायत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ऋचः: Ṛk-verses
• ऋचः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• त्रिवृत्साम: Trivṛt Sāman
• त्रिवृत्साम: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिवृत् + सामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (त्रिवृत्-साम)

• रथन्तरम्: Rathantara (Sāman)
• रथन्तरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अग्निष्टोमम्: Agniṣṭoma (sacrifice)
• अग्निष्टोमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्निष्टोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अग्नि-ष्टोम)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• यज्ञानाम्: of sacrifices
• यज्ञानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• निर्ममे: he created/formed
• निर्ममे: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मा (धातु) + निर् (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• प्रथमान्: the first
• प्रथमान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (yajñānām)

• मुखात्: from (the) mouth
• मुखात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How Vedic metres, hymns, and sacrifices arise in creation

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Secondary

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Vedic sound and yajña are not merely human institutions but arise from the Supreme, grounding dharma in divine revelation and sustaining cosmic order.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Approach mantra, study, and worship as participation in a divinely instituted order—perform duties as offering (ārpaṇa-buddhi).

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s manifested speech becomes the means of knowing and serving Him; revelation is a mode of His self-disclosure while He remains transcendent.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Gayatri
• Rigveda (Ṛk)
• Samaveda (Sāman)
• Agniṣṭoma

FAQs

What is the significance of Gāyatrī and Vedic sound in the Vishnu Purana’s creation account?

This verse presents sacred metre and hymn as primordial—Vishnu establishes creation through ordered speech (chandas and ṛc), making Veda a foundation of cosmic order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the origin of yajña (sacrifice)?

Parāśara frames yajña as instituted at the very start: the chief sacrifice (Agniṣṭoma) is ‘made first,’ indicating that ritual order and dharma are built into creation.

What is Vishnu’s theological role here in Vaishnava philosophy?

Vishnu appears as the supreme source who emanates Veda and yajña—not merely as a deity within the cosmos, but as the transcendent ground that establishes and sustains universal law.