Shloka 16
परमार्थ-निर्णयः—श्रेयस्-भेदः, कर्म-ध्यान-सीमा, एकात्मदर्शनम्
श्रेयांस्य् एवम् अनेकानि शतशो ऽथ सहस्रशः सन्त्य् अत्र परमार्थास् तु न त्व् एते श्रूयतां च मे
śreyāṃsy evam anekāni śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ santy atra paramārthās tu na tv ete śrūyatāṃ ca me
এইদৰে শ্ৰেয়লৈ নিবলৈ শত শত, সহস্ৰ সহস্ৰ উপদেশ আছে; কিন্তু সিহঁতৰ পৰম তাত্পৰ্য—পৰমাৰ্থ—তাতে সত্যৰূপে ধৰা নপৰে। সেয়ে মোৰ কথা শুনা; মই সেই পৰম অৰ্থ ক’ম।
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
FAQs
This verse distinguishes countless meritorious teachings (śreyas) from the single highest purport (paramārtha), preparing the listener to receive the text’s central theological conclusion rather than remaining at the level of general virtue.
Parāśara frames the tradition as full of beneficial instructions, but insists that their deepest meaning is often missed—so he calls Maitreya to attentive listening for the distilled, supreme teaching.
Although Vishnu is not named in this line, the verse functions as a gateway to the Purana’s main claim: the ultimate purport of dharma and cosmology culminates in the Supreme Reality, understood in Vaishnava theology as Vishnu.