Shloka 50

Devanagari script

शान्ता घोराश् च मूढाश् च विशेषास् तेन ते स्मृताः

Transliteration

śāntā ghorāś ca mūḍhāś ca viśeṣās tena te smṛtāḥ

Translation

Thus, in accord with the principle of the guṇas, they are remembered as distinct kinds: the serene, the fierce, and the deluded.

Word by Word

• शान्ताः: peaceful, calm
• शान्ताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शान्त (प्रातिपदिक; √शम् धातु-निष्पन्न कृदन्ताधारित विशेषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः

• घोराः: terrible, fierce
• घोराः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• मूढाः: deluded, bewildered
• मूढाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूढ (प्रातिपदिक; √मुह् धातु-निष्पन्न कृदन्ताधारित विशेषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• विशेषाः: particulars, distinct entities
• विशेषाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तेन: by that, therefore
• तेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• स्मृताः: are called/remembered
• स्मृताः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकालिक-कर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Guṇa-based differentiation among beings/principles in the unfolding of creation

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Primary

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Beings and dispositions are distinguished according to the predominance of the guṇas, yielding serene, fierce, and deluded types.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Observe one’s own tendencies (calm, agitated, inert) and cultivate sattva through disciplined conduct and devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: Guṇas are real modes of prakṛti under the Lord’s governance, allowing ethical transformation without denying divine immanence.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

FAQs

What is the significance of classifying beings as serene, fierce, and deluded in the Vishnu Purana?

It summarizes how differences in conduct and disposition arise from the interplay of the guṇas, creating recognizable categories within cosmic order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the emergence of these distinctions?

He frames them as “viśeṣas” grounded in an underlying principle (the guṇas), implying that temperament and moral tendency follow from sattva, rajas, and tamas in varying dominance.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even while describing guṇa-based diversity, the Purana’s wider teaching treats Vishnu as the sovereign ground in which these qualities operate—cosmic differentiation unfolds under His supreme order.