Shloka 27
एताश् च सह यज्ञेन प्रजानां कारणं परम् परावरविदः प्राज्ञास् ततो यज्ञान् वितन्वते
etāś ca saha yajñena prajānāṃ kāraṇaṃ param parāvaravidaḥ prājñās tato yajñān vitanvate
Together with yajña, these are declared the supreme cause of the flourishing of beings; therefore the wise—who discern the higher and the lower (para and apara)—extend and uphold the performance of yajñas.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Why the wise uphold yajña and how it becomes the cause of beings’ flourishing
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Those who discern para and apara recognize yajña—together with the created means (herbs/food)—as the supreme cause of beings’ prosperity, and therefore they actively extend sacrificial duty.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Cultivate discrimination (values vs. possessions) and channel resources into dharmic acts that sustain community—service, charity, and consecrated living.
Vishishtadvaita: Para/apara discrimination is harmonized: the ‘apara’ world is not negated but employed as real, purposeful support for worship and loka-saṅgraha under the Supreme.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Dasya
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse treats yajña as a supreme sustaining cause for the welfare and continuity of beings, so the wise preserve and propagate it as a pillar of cosmic and social order.
By describing the “parāvara-vidaḥ” as those who understand both ultimate truth and worldly functioning, Parāśara implies that true wisdom harmonizes spiritual insight with dharmic action such as yajña.
In the Vishnu Purana’s framework, yajña ultimately aligns with Vishnu’s sovereignty as the ground of order; sustaining the world through dharma and sacrifice points to the Supreme Reality that upholds all levels of existence.