Shloka 7
कालनिर्णयः (युग-मन्वन्तर-कल्पप्रमाणम्) — Measures of Time and Cosmic Cycles
अन्येषां चैव जन्तूनां चराणाम् अचराश् च ये भूभूभृत्सागरादीनाम् अशेषाणां च सत्तम
anyeṣāṃ caiva jantūnāṃ carāṇām acarāś ca ye bhūbhūbhṛtsāgarādīnām aśeṣāṇāṃ ca sattama
And for all other beings as well—those that move and those that do not—Earth, the mountains that uphold it, the oceans, and every support without remainder—O best among the virtuous—He is the inner ruler and the sovereign ground of all.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Viṣṇu as antaryāmin and ground of all beings and supports (earth, mountains, oceans)
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: revealing
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)
Concept: Viṣṇu is the inner ruler (antaryāmin) and sovereign substrate of all moving and unmoving beings and of the world’s supports.
Vedantic Theme: Brahman
Application: Practice seeing all life and nature as indwelt by the Lord—cultivating reverence, non-violence, and steady remembrance in daily interactions.
Vishishtadvaita: Strong antaryāmin doctrine: the world and souls are real, dependent modes/body of the Lord who indwells and governs them.
Vishnu Form: Narayana
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Lakshmi Presence: Bhumi
Antaryamin: Yes
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse emphasizes Vishnu’s all-pervading lordship across the entire spectrum of existence—living creatures, plants, and even seemingly inert cosmic structures—showing the cosmos as a unified, divinely sustained order.
By listing creatures (moving and unmoving) and cosmic supports (earth, mountains, oceans), Parāśara frames Vishnu as the comprehensive foundation and ruler of every category of reality, leaving nothing outside divine governance.
Vishnu is presented as the Supreme Reality who permeates and sustains all beings and the world’s very supports, aligning with Vaishnava thought where the universe depends on the Lord’s indwelling power and sovereignty.