Shloka 118
Pracetās, Māriṣā, Dakṣa’s Re-manifestation, and the Brahma-parastava; Cyclic Creation and Genealogies
बृहस्पतेस् तु भगिनी वरस्त्री ब्रह्मचारिणी योगसिद्धा जगत् कृत्स्नम् असक्ता विचरत्य् उत प्रभासस्य तु भार्या सा वसूनाम् अष्टमस्य ह
bṛhaspates tu bhaginī varastrī brahmacāriṇī yogasiddhā jagat kṛtsnam asaktā vicaraty uta prabhāsasya tu bhāryā sā vasūnām aṣṭamasya ha
Bṛhaspati’s sister—an excellent woman, steadfast in brahmacarya and perfected in yoga—moves through the entire world without attachment. She indeed is the wife of Prabhāsa, the eighth among the Vasus.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Accounts of divine beings (Vasus, Bṛhaspati’s kin) and their progeny/attributes.
Teaching: Historical
Quality: revealing
Creation Stage: Secondary
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
Concept: Yogic perfection is marked by moving through the world without attachment, even while situated within worldly relations.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Engage duties and relationships while practicing inner non-clinging—regular self-audit of desires and reactions.
Vishishtadvaita: Embodied life can be harmonized with spiritual attainment: detachment is lived within the Lord’s ordered world (niyati), not by negating it
Dharma Exemplar: Brahmacarya and asakti (non-attachment)
Key Kings: Bṛhaspati, Prabhāsa
Bhakti Type: shanta
FAQs
The verse praises a divine woman as “asaktā,” showing that even within cosmic genealogies, spiritual excellence is marked by freedom from clinging while moving through worldly domains.
Parāśara weaves yogic descriptors (like “yogasiddhā”) into lineage narration to indicate that spiritual power and disciplined conduct coexist with, and often sanctify, divine relationships and cosmic functions.
Though Vishnu is not named in this specific śloka, the Purāṇic framework presents these ordered classes (like the Vasus) as operating within the sovereignty and sustaining order ultimately grounded in Vishnu.