Shloka 15
Vasiṣṭha on Saṃsāra, Guṇas, and Misattributed Agency
Mahābhārata 12.292
महर्षि उशना देवाधिदेव महादेवजीको प्रसन्न करके उनके शुक्रत्वको प्राप्त हो उसी नामसे प्रसिद्ध हुए। साथ ही पार्वतीदेवीकी स्तुति करके वे यशस्वी मुनि आकाशभमें ग्रहरूपसे स्थित हो आनन्द भोग रहे हैं ।।
maharṣi uśanā devādhideva-mahādevaṃ jīkaḥ prasannaṃ kṛtvā tasya śukratvaṃ prāptaḥ; tenaiva nāmnā prasiddho 'bhavat. sārdhaṃ ca pārvatīdevyāḥ stutiṃ kṛtvā sa yaśasvī muniḥ ākāśe graharūpeṇa sthitvā ānandaṃ bhuṅkte. asito devalaś caiva tathā nārada-parvatau | kakṣīvān jāmadagnyaś ca rāmas tāṇḍyas tathātmavān | vasiṣṭho jāmadagnir viśvāmitro 'trir bharadvājaḥ | hariśmaśruḥ kuṇḍadhāraḥ śrutaśravāś ca te maharṣayaḥ | ekāgracittā vedar̥gbhir bhagavato viṣṇoḥ stutiṃ kṛtvā, tasyaiva buddhimato śrīhareḥ kṛpayā tapasā siddhiṃ prāpuḥ ||
Parāśara said: The great seer Uśanā (Śukra) won the favor of Mahādeva, the God of gods, and thereby attained the state of being “Śukra”; by that very name he became renowned. Having also praised Goddess Pārvatī, that illustrious muni now abides in the sky in the form of a planet, enjoying celestial bliss. Likewise Asita, Devala, Nārada and Parvata, Kakṣīvān, Jāmadagnya Rāma (Paraśurāma), the self-controlled Tāṇḍya, and other great ṛṣis—Vasiṣṭha, Jamadagni, Viśvāmitra, Atri, Bharadvāja, Hariśmaśru, Kuṇḍadhāra, and Śrutaśravā—fixed their minds in one-pointed concentration, praised Lord Viṣṇu with Vedic hymns, and by the grace of that wise Śrīhari attained spiritual accomplishment through austerity.
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Spiritual accomplishment (siddhi) arises from disciplined austerity joined with one-pointed devotion and is ultimately fulfilled by divine grace. The verse also models reverence across traditions: Śiva grants Śukra his status, while many ṛṣis attain success through praising Viṣṇu with Vedic hymns.
Parāśara recounts how the sage Uśanā pleased Mahādeva and became famed as Śukra, later dwelling in the sky as a planet. He then lists renowned sages who, concentrating their minds, praised Viṣṇu through Vedic ṛks and—by Śrīhari’s grace—achieved success in their tapas.