Shloka 11
ध्रुवस्य तपः — देवमायाविघ्नाः, विष्णोर्दर्शनम्, स्तुतिः, ध्रुवस्थानप्रदानम्
नद्यो नदाः समुद्राश् च संक्षोभं परमं ययुः तत्क्षोभाद् अमराः क्षोभं परं जग्मुर् महामुने
nadyo nadāḥ samudrāś ca saṃkṣobhaṃ paramaṃ yayuḥ tatkṣobhād amarāḥ kṣobhaṃ paraṃ jagmur mahāmune
Rivers, streams, and the oceans surged into supreme agitation; and from that upheaval, O great sage, even the immortals were driven into still greater disquiet.
Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya as “mahāmune” in the narrative frame)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Cosmic disturbance: waters surge; even devas become alarmed—portents of an extraordinary divine event.
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)
Concept: When the cosmic order is disturbed, even the devas experience fear—reminding that all conditioned beings are subject to the Lord’s overarching will.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Do not absolutize worldly ‘security’; anchor confidence in the divine rather than in status, power, or even celestial privilege.
Vishishtadvaita: Devas too are dependent jīvas within the Lord’s body-cosmos; their agitation underscores universal subservience to Nārāyaṇa’s governance.
FAQs
It functions as a cosmic portent: when the waters of the world enter upheaval, it signals a major turning point in universal order and impending divine action.
Parāśara presents nature and the devas as linked within a single cosmic system—when the foundational elements are shaken, even celestial beings experience heightened anxiety.
Though not named in this verse, the narrative logic implies Vishnu’s sovereignty over cosmic balance: turbulence in creation anticipates the restoring or reordering power ultimately grounded in the Supreme Reality.