Shloka 16
गुरूणाम् अपि सर्वेषां पिता परमको गुरुः यद् उक्तं भ्रान्तिस् तत्रापि स्वल्पापि हि न विद्यते
gurūṇām api sarveṣāṃ pitā paramako guruḥ yad uktaṃ bhrāntis tatrāpi svalpāpi hi na vidyate
Even among all teachers, the father is the highest Guru. In what he has spoken there is not even the slightest error—no trace of delusion is found there.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya, in the usual Vishnu Purana dialogue frame)
Concept: The father is upheld as the highest guru, whose instruction is to be treated as free from delusion and deserving complete trust.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Practice reverent listening and careful obedience toward legitimate authority figures, while cultivating inner clarity to avoid projecting ‘bhrānti’ onto worthy teachers.
Vishishtadvaita: Affirms the role of authoritative instruction (ācārya/āpta) as a means to right knowledge that culminates in devotion to the Supreme.
Bhakti Type: Dasya
FAQs
This verse elevates the ultimate source of guidance above all human teachers, asserting that the highest ‘Father’—the supreme principle behind instruction—speaks without error, making such teaching uniquely trustworthy for dharma and liberation.
By stating that in the supreme teaching there is not even a small measure of bhrānti, Parāśara frames authentic instruction as intrinsically free from delusion—meant to be followed as a stable guide in spiritual life.
Although Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s theological arc typically identifies the supreme, flawless source of wisdom with the Supreme Reality (Vishnu/Nārāyaṇa), reinforcing Vaishnava emphasis on an infallible divine ground of knowledge.