Shloka 60
Pracetās, Māriṣā, Dakṣa’s Re-manifestation, and the Brahma-parastava; Cyclic Creation and Genealogies
इयं च मारिषा पूर्वम् आसीद् या तां ब्रवीमि वः कार्यगौरवम् एतस्याः कथने फलदायि वः
iyaṃ ca māriṣā pūrvam āsīd yā tāṃ bravīmi vaḥ kāryagauravam etasyāḥ kathane phaladāyi vaḥ
This very Marishā existed in former times as well—she of whom I now speak to you. Great is the weight and consequence of her story; and the telling of it is fruitful for you, bestowing merit.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Introduction to the prior existence and karmic significance of Marīṣā and the fruit (puṇya) of hearing her account
Teaching: Historical
Quality: compassionate
Concept: Sacred narrative (kathā) carries karmic gravity, and hearing/relating it with faith yields spiritual fruit (puṇya).
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Approach Purāṇic listening/reading as disciplined śravaṇa—regular, attentive, and ethically oriented—rather than as mere entertainment.
Vishishtadvaita: Highlights śravaṇa of Vaiṣṇava kathā as a real means of grace and purification within embodied life (karma and devotion integrated).
FAQs
This verse frames Marishā’s account as an earlier-occurring, karmically weighty narrative whose recounting supports the Purana’s dynastic history and conveys merit (phala) to the listener.
He signals their kārya-gaurava—narrative and moral gravity—and adds a phala-śruti: the act of hearing/retelling itself is spiritually beneficial within the teacher–disciple transmission.
Even within genealogy, the Purana treats history as ordered under divine sovereignty; the merit of narration implies that these lineages and events ultimately unfold within Vishnu’s sustaining cosmic order.