Shloka 23

मेरु-प्रमाणम्, सप्त-पाताल-वर्णनम्, तथा अनन्त-शेष-तत्त्वम्

Devanagari script

यदा विजृम्भते ऽनन्तो मदाघूर्णितलोचनः तदा चलति भूर् एषा साद्रितोया सकानना

Transliteration

yadā vijṛmbhate 'nanto madāghūrṇitalocanaḥ tadā calati bhūr eṣā sādritoyā sakānanā

Translation

每当无尽者阿难多微微伸动，双目如醉般因其无量威力而转动之时，此大地便震颤：连同山岳、江海与诸林，整个世界皆为之摇动。

Word by Word

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Time relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• विजृम्भते: stretches/yawns
• विजृम्भते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि√जृम्भ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘opens out/yawns/expands’

• अनन्तः: Ananta (Śeṣa)
• अनन्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• मदाघूर्णितलोचनः: whose eyes are rolling from intoxication
• मदाघूर्णितलोचनः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मद + आघूर्णित + लोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (PPP) ‘आघूर्णित’; बहुव्रीहिसमासः (‘मदेन आघूर्णिते लोचने यस्य’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Time relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• चलति: shakes/moves
• चलति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √चल् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘moves’

• भूः: the earth
• भूः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• एषा: this
• एषा: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular demonstrative (apposition to ‘भूः’)

• साद्रितोया: with its mountains and waters
• साद्रितोया: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + अद्रि + तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘अद्रिभिः सह तोयैः युक्ता’—with mountains and waters); Nominative singular adjective

• सकानना: with its forests
• सकानना: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + कानन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘काननैः सह’); Nominative singular adjective

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The cosmic consequence of Ananta’s movement—earthquakes and the stirring of mountains, waters, and forests.

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When Ananta stirs, the entire earth—mountains, waters, and forests—trembles, showing nature’s dependence on deeper cosmic supports.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: In upheaval, remember contingency: stability is not self-made; cultivate inner steadiness through remembrance of the divine ground of being.

Vishishtadvaita: Natural events are not merely mechanical; they occur within a divinely sustained order, where cosmic supports are personal manifestations under the Lord’s sovereignty.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)

Vyuha Form: Sankarshana

Lakshmi Presence: Bhumi (earth)

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Ananta (Śeṣa)
• Earth (Bhūmi)

FAQs

What is the significance of Ananta (Śeṣa) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents Ananta as a cosmic support: when he stirs, the entire Earth—mountains, waters, and forests—trembles, showing that worldly stability depends on higher cosmic principles.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the cause of the Earth’s trembling?

Parāśara attributes terrestrial shaking to the movement of Ananta beneath the world, framing earthquakes as part of the Purāṇic model of cosmic mechanics and order.

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

Ananta is inseparable from Vishnu’s cosmic function; the verse implies that even the Earth’s motion occurs within Vishnu-governed order, emphasizing supreme sovereignty over the physical universe.