Shloka 3

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

Devanagari script

मैत्रेय कथयाम्य् एष शृणुष्व सुसमाहितः यथा ससर्ज देवो ऽसौ देवादीन् अखिलान् विभुः

Transliteration

maitreya kathayāmy eṣa śṛṇuṣva susamāhitaḥ yathā sasarja devo 'sau devādīn akhilān vibhuḥ

Translation

Hỡi Maitreya, nay ta sẽ tuyên thuyết—hãy lắng nghe với tâm định tĩnh—rằng Đấng Chủ Tể bao trùm muôn loài đã tạo ra toàn thể chúng sinh, khởi đầu từ chư thiên, như thế nào.

Word by Word

• मैत्रेय: O Maitreya
• मैत्रेय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः; सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः; एकवचनम्

• कथयामि: I narrate, I will tell
• कथयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु; नामधातु from कथा)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present); परस्मैपदम्; उत्तमपुरुषः; एकवचनम्

• एष: this (I) / this one
• एष: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्गः; प्रथमा-विभक्तिः; एकवचनम्

• शृणुष्व: listen
• शृणुष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकारः (Imperative); आत्मनेपदम्; मध्यमपुरुषः; एकवचनम्

• सुसमाहितः: well-composed, attentive
• सुसमाहितः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + सम् + आ + धा (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त: समाहित); पुंलिङ्गः; प्रथमा-विभक्तिः; एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• यथा: how, in what manner
• यथा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; प्रकारवाचकम्

• ससर्ज: created
• ससर्ज: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः; परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुषः; एकवचनम्

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः; प्रथमा-विभक्तिः; एकवचनम्

• असौ: that one (he)
• असौ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्गः; प्रथमा-विभक्तिः; एकवचनम्

• देवादीन्: the gods and others
• देवादीन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (देवाः आदयः); पुंलिङ्गः; द्वितीया-विभक्तिः; बहुवचनम्

• अखिलान्: all, entire
• अखिलान्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अखिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः; द्वितीया-विभक्तिः; बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifying देवादीन्)

• विभुः: the all-pervading Lord
• विभुः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः; प्रथमा-विभक्तिः; एकवचनम्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Explanation of the universe’s qualities and form at the beginning of creation; how the Lord produced all beings.

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Receptive, concentrated listening (susamāhita-śravaṇa) is the gateway to grasping the Lord’s all-pervading creative sovereignty.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice attentive listening to scripture/teachers without distraction before forming conclusions.

Vishishtadvaita: The Supreme is vibhu (all-pervading) yet personally teachable through śravaṇa in a guru–śiṣya lineage.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Maitreya
• Vishnu (implied as the Supreme Deva)
• Devas (gods)

FAQs

What is the significance of Sarga (creation) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse signals the formal start of Parāśara’s creation account, framing Sarga as a deliberate, orderly emanation from the Supreme Lord, beginning with the devas and extending to all beings.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the creation process to Maitreya here?

He establishes a teacher–disciple setting and asks Maitreya to listen with full concentration, indicating that creation will be explained as a purposeful act of the all-pervading Divine (vibhu).

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

Even without naming Vishnu directly, the verse presents the Creator as the supreme, omnipotent, all-pervading Lord—an identification consistent with the Vishnu Purana’s core claim that Vishnu is the ultimate source of gods and cosmos.