Shloka 11

ऋभु-निदाघ-संवादः — अधः-ऊर्ध्व-दृष्टान्तेन अद्वैतबोधः (राजा-गज-उपमा) तथा मोक्षफलश्रुति

Devanagari script

जानाम्य् अहं यथा ब्रह्मंस् तथा माम् अवबोधय अधःशब्दनिगद्यं किं किं चोर्ध्वम् अभिधीयते

Transliteration

jānāmy ahaṃ yathā brahmaṃs tathā mām avabodhaya adhaḥśabdanigadyaṃ kiṃ kiṃ cordhvam abhidhīyate

Translation

尊敬的婆罗门啊，我虽以一种方式理解此义，仍请你明白开示真实之旨。所谓“下”究竟指哪些？同样，“上”又指什么？

Word by Word

• जानामि: I know
• जानामि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्, उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (singular)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• यथा: as, just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/उपमानार्थक-अव्यय (comparative/conjunctive indeclinable): 'as/just as'

• ब्रह्मन्: Brahman / O Brahman
• ब्रह्मन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; सम्बोधन-रूपेण 'ब्रह्मन्' (O Brahman) इति अपि सम्भवम् (contextual)

• तथा: so, thus
• तथा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: तुल्यतार्थक-अव्यय (correlative indeclinable): 'so, in that way'

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• अवबोधय: make (me) understand, explain
• अवबोधय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव√बुध् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; causative sense 'make understand' (णिच्-भावार्थः)

• अधःशब्दनिगद्यम्: what is denoted by the word 'below'
• अधःशब्दनिगद्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधः-शब्द-निगद्यम् (प्रातिपदिक); अधः (अव्यय) + शब्द (प्रातिपदिक) + निगद्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषभावः: 'अधः-शब्देन निगद्यं' = 'that which is expressed by the word “below”'

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• किम्: what (else)?
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति-प्रश्न (what, and what)

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

• ऊर्ध्वम्: above
• ऊर्ध्वम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ऊर्ध्व (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययप्राय)
• Form: दिशावाचक-अव्यय (adverb of direction): 'above, upwards'

• अभिधीयते: is expressed/denoted
• अभिधीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि√धा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): 'is said/denoted'

Speaker

Maitreya (questioning Sage Parāśara)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Conventional directions (‘above/below’) require precise inquiry because truth is not exhausted by relative, positional language.

Vedantic Theme: Atman

Application: Question habitual labels (status, hierarchy, ‘higher/lower’) and seek the underlying criteria before judging self or others.

Vishishtadvaita: Epistemic humility that prepares for seeing ordered reality as meaningful only in relation to the supreme controller (niyantṛ), not mere spatial convention.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Maitreya
• Parāśara
• Brahman (as honorific for the sage)

FAQs

What is the significance of ‘below’ and ‘above’ in the Vishnu Purana?

In this verse, Maitreya asks for a precise definition of cosmological terms—‘below’ and ‘above’—which in the Purana typically map to the ordered hierarchy of lokas (lower subterranean realms and higher celestial realms).

How does Sage Parāśara explain cosmological structure in this dialogue?

This question sets up Parāśara’s systematic clarification: he teaches by defining technical words (like adhaḥ/ūrdhva) and then expanding them into an ordered description of realms, consistent with the Purana’s creation (sarga) narrative.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when the verse is about spatial terms, the Vishnu Purana’s cosmology is ultimately framed as an ordered universe sustained by the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—so defining ‘above’ and ‘below’ supports the larger vision of divine sovereignty over all realms.