Shloka 87
Pracetās, Māriṣā, Dakṣa’s Re-manifestation, and the Brahma-parastava; Cyclic Creation and Genealogies
यदास्य सृजमानस्य न व्यवर्धन्त ताः प्रजाः ततः संचिन्त्य बहुशः सृष्टिहेतोः प्रजापतिः
yadāsya sṛjamānasya na vyavardhanta tāḥ prajāḥ tataḥ saṃcintya bahuśaḥ sṛṣṭihetoḥ prajāpatiḥ
When, even as he was creating, those beings did not multiply, then Prajāpati—the cause of manifestation—pondered again and again, at length, upon the means by which creation might truly proceed.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How creation proceeds when initial progeny do not multiply; the mechanism of prajā-vṛddhi
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: revealing
Creation Stage: Secondary
Concept: Even a Prajāpati must align with the proper causal means (upāya) for manifestation; mere production without sustaining multiplication is incomplete creation.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: When efforts stall, examine the underlying means and conditions rather than forcing outcomes; refine method in harmony with dharma.
Vishishtadvaita: Order (niyati/dharma) governs manifestation; agency operates within the Lord’s cosmic ordinance rather than as isolated autonomy.
FAQs
It highlights that creation is not merely an initial act but a regulated process requiring appropriate conditions and methods for beings to multiply within cosmic order.
Parāśara presents it as a narrative turning point in creation: despite initial emanation, growth does not occur until Prajāpati deliberates and adopts further means to enable proliferation.
Even when Prajāpati appears as the immediate agent, the Purana frames such secondary creators as operating under Vishnu’s supreme governance—creation unfolds through His overarching sovereignty and order.