Shloka 31
वासुदेवस्वरूपनिरूपणं—सर्गक्रमश्च
Vāsudeva’s Nature and the Ordered Process of Creation
स एव क्षोभको ब्रह्मन् क्षोभ्यश् च पुरुषोत्तमः स संकोचविकासाभ्यां प्रधानत्वे ऽपि च स्थितः
sa eva kṣobhako brahman kṣobhyaś ca puruṣottamaḥ sa saṃkocavikāsābhyāṃ pradhānatve 'pi ca sthitaḥ
O Brahmin, that very Puruṣottama is both the one who initiates the cosmic stirring and that which is stirred. Even while abiding as Pradhāna, He remains present through contraction and expansion, drawing the universe in and unfolding it again.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How Puruṣottama can be both the agitator and the substratum/that which is agitated; the cosmos as contraction and expansion.
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Creation Stage: Primary
Concept: Puruṣottama is simultaneously the initiator of cosmic disturbance and the very ground that undergoes manifestation, sustaining cycles of contraction and expansion even while abiding as pradhāna.
Vedantic Theme: Brahman
Application: Contemplate the Lord as both transcendent and immanent: in change and in the unchanging support, reducing anxiety about fluctuation in life.
Vishishtadvaita: Affirms qualified non-dualism: the Lord pervades and governs prakṛti as its inner self, enabling real transformation without compromising His supremacy.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Antaryamin: Yes
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse frames kṣobha as the Supreme’s initiating impulse that sets primordial nature into manifest creation, showing creation is not random but governed by Vishnu’s sovereignty.
Parāśara presents Vishnu/Puruṣottama as present even “as Pradhāna,” implying the Supreme is not merely separate from matter but also pervades and underlies it as its ground.
It emphasizes Vishnu as both the efficient cause (one who initiates) and the material basis (that which becomes manifest), aligning with Vaishnava metaphysics of the Supreme Reality as immanent and transcendent.