Shloka 6
सर्गभेदाः — अविद्या, स्रोतोभेदाः, नव सर्गाः, देवासुरादिसृष्टिः, वेद-यज्ञप्रादुर्भावः
पञ्चधावस्थितः सर्गो ध्यायतो ऽप्रतिबोधवान् बहिर् अन्तश् चाप्रकाशः संवृतात्मा नगात्मकः
pañcadhāvasthitaḥ sargo dhyāyato 'pratibodhavān bahir antaś cāprakāśaḥ saṃvṛtātmā nagātmakaḥ
Creation remained set in a fivefold state—though, as it were, contemplated, it was yet unawakened; without light outwardly or inwardly, its essence veiled, inert and unmoving like a mountain.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Cosmogony: the sequence and nature of sarga (creation) from the unmanifest into manifest orders
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Creation Stage: Primary
Concept: Before differentiated beings arise, creation abides in a veiled, tamasic, inert condition—unillumined within and without—awaiting further activation.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Recognize tamas as a real obscuring force in experience; cultivate clarity (sattva) through disciplined attention, study, and devotion rather than mistaking inertia for peace.
Vishishtadvaita: The verse implies a real, dependent prakṛti that can be ‘veiled’ and ‘unillumined’ yet is moved into ordered manifestation by the Lord’s will—Vishnu as both transcendent overseer and causal ground.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
It points to an early, undifferentiated condition of creation where existence is present only in a latent, structured way—prior to clear manifestation and cognition.
He describes it as lacking illumination both externally and internally (aprakāśa), with its true nature covered (saṃvṛtātmā), indicating a tamas-heavy, pre-differentiated stage of sarga.
Even when creation is inert and unawakened, the Vishnu Purana frames cosmology as resting on the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—whose sovereignty underlies the transition from veiled potentiality to manifest order.