Shloka 20
Adhyāya 302: Guṇa-vicāra, Gati-bheda, and the Imperishable State
Yājñavalkya–Janaka
वृतं नैकात्मकं येन कृतं त्रैलोक्यमात्मना । तथैव बहुरूपत्वाद् विश्वरूप इति स्मृत:
vṛtaṃ naikātmakaṃ yena kṛtaṃ trailokyam ātmanā | tathaiva bahurūpatvād viśvarūpa iti smṛtaḥ ||
বসিষ্ঠ ক’লে—যিজনে নিজৰ আত্মস্বৰূপৰ দ্বাৰাই ত্ৰিলোক গঢ়িলে, তেওঁ একেটা ৰূপত সীমাবদ্ধ নহয়। বহু ৰূপত প্ৰকাশ পোৱাৰ বাবে তেওঁ ‘বিশ্বৰূপ’ বুলি স্মৃত। সেই এক তত্ত্বই সৃষ্টিকৰ্তাও, সৰ্বব্যাপীও; বহুৰূপে দেখা দিলেও অন্তৰ্নিহিত একতা ত্যাগ নকৰে।
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the ultimate principle that creates the three worlds is not limited to a single form; it manifests as many forms while remaining one. This supports an ethical vision of unity: seeing multiplicity as expressions of one reality reduces ego-driven division and encourages reverence toward all beings.
Vasiṣṭha is instructing his listener in a philosophical discourse within Śānti Parva, explaining the cosmic creator-pervader as ‘Viśvarūpa’—so called because the one reality appears in countless forms and yet underlies and pervades the entire three-world cosmos.