Shloka 88
तेनान्नेन प्रजास् तात वर्तन्ते ऽद्यापि नित्यशः
tenānnena prajās tāta vartante 'dyāpi nityaśaḥ
“By that very food, dear one, all beings continue to subsist—even to this day—unceasingly and ever.”
Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Teaching: Historical
Quality: compassionate
Concept: Present sustenance rests upon foundational dharmic acts of the past; gratitude and responsible use are implied.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Cultivate gratitude for food systems and practice mindful consumption and sharing.
Vishishtadvaita: The ongoing support of beings indicates a stable divine order in which the world remains a real arena for service and devotion.
FAQs
This verse presents food as the ongoing instrument of cosmic maintenance—through which beings continually endure—implying an underlying divine order that sustains life without interruption.
He points to a specific, established source of sustenance (“that food”) as the reason beings still subsist today, framing worldly continuity as part of a stable, divinely governed system.
Even when Vishnu is not named explicitly, the Purana’s theology treats the world’s unfailing sustenance as an expression of the Supreme’s preserving power—Vishnu as the ground of maintenance (sthiti).