Shloka 26
Pracetās, Māriṣā, Dakṣa’s Re-manifestation, and the Brahma-parastava; Cyclic Creation and Genealogies
ततः प्रहस्य मुदिता तं सा प्राह महामुनिम् किम् अद्य सर्वधर्मज्ञ परिवृत्तम् अहस् तव
tataḥ prahasya muditā taṃ sā prāha mahāmunim kim adya sarvadharmajña parivṛttam ahas tava
Then, smiling with delight, she spoke to the great sage: “O knower of all dharma, what has happened today that the course of your day has so changed?”
A woman (sā) addressing a great sage (mahāmuni) within the narrative frame; the verse is reported by the Purana’s narrator (traditionally Parāśara) to Maitreya.
FAQs
It signals that the sage embodies comprehensive knowledge of dharma (cosmic and social order), making him an authoritative source whose actions and changes in demeanor are meaningful within the story.
A character’s question—like noticing a change in the sage’s day—functions as a narrative hinge that invites explanation, allowing the text to unfold doctrine and ethical insight naturally.
Even when Vishnu is not named in a verse, the Purana’s framework treats dharma and cosmic order as ultimately grounded in Vishnu as the sustaining Supreme Reality, with sages reflecting that order through conduct and insight.