Shloka 40
प्रह्लादस्य अव्यभिचारिणी भक्ति, मायाविनाशः, तथा विष्णोः विश्वरूप-स्तुतिः
विद्याबुद्धिर् अविद्यायाम् अज्ञानात् तात जायते बालो ऽग्निं किं न खद्योतम् असुरेश्वर मन्यते
vidyābuddhir avidyāyām ajñānāt tāta jāyate bālo 'gniṃ kiṃ na khadyotam asureśvara manyate
Dear one, from ignorance a false notion of “knowledge” can arise even within ignorance itself. O lord of the Asuras, does not a child mistake a fire for a mere glow-worm?
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya; the verse also contains a rhetorical address 'asureśvara' used as an illustrative vocative)
Concept: Ignorance can generate a counterfeit sense of ‘knowledge’, like mistaking fire for a glow-worm; discernment is required to distinguish reality from semblance.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Test beliefs by their fruits—do they reduce ego and bondage, or inflate certainty and conflict? Seek guidance from śāstra and sādhus.
Vishishtadvaita: Avidyā distorts perception of the Lord and self; true vidyā is recognition of dependence on and illumination by Viṣṇu.
FAQs
It illustrates how ignorance can cause a person to misjudge greatness as something trivial—just as a child confuses blazing fire with a small firefly—pointing to the need for discernment when approaching the Supreme.
He warns that even within ignorance one may develop a confident but mistaken sense of “knowing,” and that real understanding requires clarity (viveka), not mere assumption or partial perception.
The verse supports the Vaishnava theme that the Supreme Reality is often underestimated by the ignorant; recognizing Vishnu’s supremacy requires purified understanding rather than superficial judgment.