Shloka 13
वासुदेवस्वरूपनिरूपणं—सर्गक्रमश्च
Vāsudeva’s Nature and the Ordered Process of Creation
तद् ब्रह्म परमं नित्यम् अजम् अक्षयम् अव्ययम् एकस्वरूपं च सदा हेयाभावाच् च निर्मलम्
tad brahma paramaṃ nityam ajam akṣayam avyayam ekasvarūpaṃ ca sadā heyābhāvāc ca nirmalam
That Supreme Brahman is eternal—unborn, imperishable, and undecaying; ever of one undivided nature, and, because no defect can belong to It, forever stainless and pure.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Attributes of the Supreme Brahman: eternality, unbornness, purity, and non-defectiveness
Teaching: Philosophical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: The Supreme Brahman is eternal, unborn, imperishable, of one undivided nature, and intrinsically stainless because no defect can pertain to It.
Vedantic Theme: Brahman
Application: Cultivate inner purity and steadiness by reflecting on the defectless nature of the Divine as the ultimate refuge beyond personal limitations.
Vishishtadvaita: ‘Nirmala’ and ‘heyābhāva’ align with the Vaishnava doctrine of Bhagavan’s freedom from दोष (doṣa) and possession of auspicious qualities, later articulated as kalyāṇa-guṇas.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
It establishes the Supreme as beyond time, origin, and destruction—prior to and independent of creation—so all cosmic processes depend on Him, not vice versa.
By stating heyābhāva—there is no possibility of defect or blameworthiness in the Supreme—Parāśara presents purity as intrinsic, not something attained or maintained.
The verse functions as a Para-Brahman definition that Vaishnava tradition reads as referring to Vishnu: the single, eternal, stainless Supreme who grounds creation and liberation.