Shloka 7

मैत्रेयप्रश्नः—पुराणसंहिताप्रतिज्ञा च

Maitreya’s Questions and Parāśara’s Resolve to Teach

Devanagari script

सूर्यादीनां च संस्थानं प्रमाणं मुनिसत्तम देवादीनां तथा वंशान् मनून् मन्वन्तराणि च

Transliteration

sūryādīnāṃ ca saṃsthānaṃ pramāṇaṃ munisattama devādīnāṃ tathā vaṃśān manūn manvantarāṇi ca

Translation

Hỡi bậc hiền triết tối thượng, xin cũng mô tả hình dạng và kích thước của Mặt Trời và các thiên thể khác; và kể các dòng dõi của chư thiên và các bậc khác, cùng các Manu và những chu kỳ Manvantara.

Word by Word

• sūryādīnām: of the sun and others
• sūryādīnām: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सूर्य-आदि = 'सूर्यः आदिः येषाम्'

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• saṃsthānam: configuration, arrangement
• saṃsthānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃsthāna (प्रातिपदिक; √sthā (धातु) + सम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• pramāṇam: measure, extent
• pramāṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pramāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• munisattama: O best of sages
• munisattama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; मुनिषु सत्तमः (best among sages)

• devādīnām: of the gods and others
• devādīnām: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• tathā: also, likewise
• tathā: Samuccaya/Prakaraṇa (Also/manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/तुल्यत्व-वाचक (also, likewise)

• vaṃśān: lineages, dynasties
• vaṃśān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• manūn: Manus
• manūn: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• manvantarāṇi: Manvantaras (periods of Manus)
• manvantarāṇi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manu + antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; मनोः अन्तरम्/मन्वन्तरम् (period of a Manu)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Maitreya (questioning Sage Parāśara)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Maitreya

Topic: Measures/forms of the Sun and other luminaries; lineages of gods and others; Manus and Manvantara cycles

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: comprehensive, time-cycle oriented

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Manvantara

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (celestial bodies: sūryādi)

Characters & Entities

• Surya (the Sun)
• Devas (gods)

FAQs

What is the significance of Manvantara in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse highlights Manvantara as a central organizing principle of cosmic history—epochs ruled by different Manus through which order, dharma, and creation’s administration proceed.

How does Sage Parāśara explain cosmology and lineage in response to Maitreya?

Maitreya explicitly requests a structured account: (1) the form and measurement of the Sun and other luminaries, and (2) the genealogies of gods and beings, anchored within the sequence of Manus and Manvantaras.

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

By framing cosmic measurements, divine genealogies, and time-cycles as knowable and ordered topics of instruction, the Purana implies a single sovereign ground of order—Vishnu—under whose governance the cosmos, its rulers, and its epochs unfold.