Shloka 92
Pracetās, Māriṣā, Dakṣa’s Re-manifestation, and the Brahma-parastava; Cyclic Creation and Genealogies
बालिशा बत यूयं वै नास्या जानीत वै भुवः अन्तर् ऊर्ध्वम् अधश् चैव कथं स्रक्ष्यथ वै प्रजाः
bāliśā bata yūyaṃ vai nāsyā jānīta vai bhuvaḥ antar ūrdhvam adhaś caiva kathaṃ srakṣyatha vai prajāḥ
Wahrlich, ihr seid kindisch! Ihr kennt das Wesen dieser Welt nicht—was innen ist, was oben und was unten. Ohne dies zu wissen, wie wollt ihr die Wesen schützen?
Sage Parāśara (narrating within the cosmological discourse to Maitreya; the verse itself reflects an admonitory voice within the description of governance/cosmic knowledge)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Why Dakṣa’s sons abandon procreation after receiving instruction about the worlds
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: revealing
Creation Stage: Secondary
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
Concept: Without knowing the inner constitution of the world and its higher and lower planes, one cannot rightly sustain or protect beings.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Cultivate discernment—study cosmology/ethics, reflect on consequences, and avoid acting from naïve certainty.
Vishishtadvaita: The world-order (loka-vyavasthā) is intelligible because it is governed from within by Bhagavān; knowing that order is part of right dharma.
FAQs
It frames cosmological knowledge as practical wisdom: understanding the layered universe (inner regions, higher lokas, lower realms) is presented as essential for sustaining order and protecting beings.
By rebuking ignorance and linking it to failure in protecting prajā, the text implies that righteous rule depends on understanding the cosmic order one is meant to uphold.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Vishnu Purana’s cosmology is ultimately Vishnu-centered: the ordered hierarchy of realms and the protection of beings are understood as operating under Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty.