Shloka 3
जगाम वसुधा क्षोभं यत्राब्धिसलिले स्थिते बन्धबद्धो ऽपि चलति विक्षिप्ताङ्गैः समाहता
jagāma vasudhā kṣobhaṃ yatrābdhisalile sthite bandhabaddho 'pi calati vikṣiptāṅgaiḥ samāhatā
Then the Earth was thrown into agitation; for in that oceanic expanse, even one held fast by bonds is made to heave and shift, struck and jolted as the limbs are violently tossed about.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Describing the violent ordeal involving the Earth and ocean as part of Prahlāda’s persecution sequence.
Teaching: Historical
Quality: authoritative
Phase: Persecution
Bhakti Quality: Fearless endurance grounded in trust in Viṣṇu.
Lakshmi Presence: Bhumi
FAQs
This verse uses the Earth’s trembling in the ocean as a vivid cosmological image of disorder—showing that when cosmic balance is disturbed, even what seems restrained and secure can be forced into motion.
Parāśara depicts instability through concrete physical imagery (bound yet shaken), preparing the listener to understand that the world’s steadiness ultimately depends on a higher sustaining principle rather than mere ‘bonds’ or material supports.
Even when Vishnu is not explicitly named in the line, the Purāṇic cosmology assumes His supreme sovereignty: the cosmos can be shaken, but its restoration and true stability are grounded in the Supreme Reality who upholds order.