Shloka 46

वाराहावतारः (भूम्युद्धारः) — Varāha, the Raising of the Earth and the Recommencement of Creation

Devanagari script

तस्योपरि जलौघस्य महती नौर् इव स्थिता विततत्वात् तु देहस्य न मही याति संप्लवम्

Transliteration

tasyopari jalaughasya mahatī naur iva sthitā vitatatvāt tu dehasya na mahī yāti saṃplavam

Translation

在那浩瀚水涛之上，伟大的大地如巨舟般安住漂浮。由于祂之身量无边广大，大地不沉入洪水；被承持而不陷于泛滥。

Word by Word

तस्यof it; of that

उपरिabove; upon

जलौघस्यof the flood of water

महतीgreat; huge

नौःa boat

इवlike

स्थिताstood; remained

विततत्वात्because of the expansiveness

तुhowever; indeed

देहस्यof the body

नnot

महीthe earth

यातिgoes; comes to

संप्लवम्submergence; inundation

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

Vishnu

Earth (Mahī)

Cosmic Waters (Jalaugha)

FAQs

What is the significance of the Earth being compared to a ship in the Vishnu Purana?

The simile conveys that the Earth remains afloat and stable amid the cosmic waters because it is supported by the Divine foundation—Vishnu’s sustaining presence.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Earth’s stability during cosmic inundation (saṃplava)?

He teaches that the Earth does not sink into the deluge because the Lord’s body is vitata—immeasurably spread out and all-supporting—serving as the cosmic basis that prevents submergence.

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

Vishnu is presented as the Supreme sustaining Reality: not merely a deity within the cosmos, but the underlying support by which creation remains ordered and preserved even amid overwhelming waters.