Shloka 67
प्रह्लादस्य अव्यभिचारिणी भक्ति, मायाविनाशः, तथा विष्णोः विश्वरूप-स्तुतिः
देवा यक्षासुराः सिद्धा नागा गन्धर्वकिंनराः पिशाचा राक्षसाश् चैव मनुष्याः पशवस् तथा
devā yakṣāsurāḥ siddhā nāgā gandharvakiṃnarāḥ piśācā rākṣasāś caiva manuṣyāḥ paśavas tathā
Gods, Yakṣas and Asuras, perfected Siddhas; Nāgas, Gandharvas and Kiṃnaras; Piśācas and Rākṣasas—together with human beings and animals—are all arrayed within the single cosmic sovereignty upheld by the Supreme, Viṣṇu.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Nature of Vishnu as the all-supporting ground of beings and categories of existence
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Creation Stage: Secondary
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
Concept: All classes of beings—divine, semi-divine, demonic, human, and animal—subsist within and are upheld by Viṣṇu’s single sovereign reality.
Vedantic Theme: Brahman
Application: Contemplate the same Lord present across all forms of life to cultivate reverence and non-harm in conduct.
Vishishtadvaita: Viṣṇu is the inner ruler and support of the plurality of real beings, which exist as His modes (prakāras) without collapsing their distinctness.
Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)
Bhakti Type: Shanta (peaceful)
Antaryamin: Yes
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse emphasizes the Purana’s cosmic taxonomy—showing that gods, spirits, humans, and animals are all integrated into a single ordered universe, not separate realities.
Parāśara teaches Maitreya by mapping the cosmos as a hierarchy of realms and beings, illustrating that every category has a place and function within the larger cosmic order.
Even when Viṣṇu is not named in the line, the cosmological listing serves the Vaishnava premise: all orders of existence are sustained and governed by the Supreme Reality, Viṣṇu.