Shloka 43
सर्गभेदाः — अविद्या, स्रोतोभेदाः, नव सर्गाः, देवासुरादिसृष्टिः, वेद-यज्ञप्रादुर्भावः
मैवं भो रक्ष्यताम् एष यैर् उक्तं राक्षसास् तु ते ऊचुः खादाम इत्य् अन्ये ये ते यक्षास् तु जक्षणात्
maivaṃ bho rakṣyatām eṣa yair uktaṃ rākṣasās tu te ūcuḥ khādāma ity anye ye te yakṣās tu jakṣaṇāt
“Not so, sirs—let him be protected!” Those who spoke thus were called Rākṣasas. But others cried, “Let us eat him!” and those who hungered to devour were remembered as Yakṣas.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Etymologies and differentiation of yakṣa/rākṣasa classes in sarga
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: didactic
Creation Stage: Secondary
Concept: Language and intention disclose inner nature: protective impulse versus predatory appetite becomes the very marker by which beings are classified and remembered.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Examine one’s speech—does it protect or consume? Cultivate words that uphold others, aligning intention with dharma.
Vishishtadvaita: Moral orientation (rakṣaṇa vs bhakṣaṇa) is meaningful within a real world under divine order, supporting the Vishishtadvaita emphasis on dharma in embodied life.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
FAQs
They represent classes of beings characterized by aggressive or devouring impulses, illustrating how creation contains divergent tendencies that must be ordered within the cosmic system.
By presenting contrasting cries—some calling for protection, others for consumption—he depicts early creation as containing competing drives that later become regulated by dharma and cosmic governance.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the line, the narrative functions within the Vishnu Purana’s premise that all beings and impulses arise and operate under the overarching sovereignty of Vishnu as the supreme ground of cosmic order.