Shloka 89
भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः
वृक्षाद् दारु ततश् चेयं शिबिका त्वदधिष्ठिता क्व वृक्षसंज्ञा याता स्याद् दारुसंज्ञाथ वा नृप
vṛkṣād dāru tataś ceyaṃ śibikā tvadadhiṣṭhitā kva vṛkṣasaṃjñā yātā syād dārusaṃjñātha vā nṛpa
From a tree comes wood, and from that wood this palanquin has been made, which you now occupy. Tell me, O King—where has the name “tree” gone? Or where, indeed, is the name “wood” now?
A wise instructor addressing a king (didactic voice within the royal narrative; framed within Parāśara’s narration to Maitreya)
Concept: Names and identities shift with transformations (tree → wood → palanquin), showing that designations are conventional overlays upon changing substrates.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Notice how identity labels change with circumstance (job, age, body); anchor your sense of self in the enduring inner subject and in service to the Lord rather than in labels.
Vishishtadvaita: While names/forms are contingent, the underlying realities (acit, cit) are real and sustained by the Supreme as their inner support and ultimate cause—avoiding the collapse into mere illusionism.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
It shows that names and social designations shift as forms transform—‘tree’ becomes ‘wood,’ ‘wood’ becomes ‘palanquin’—implying that titles like ‘king’ are also contingent labels rather than permanent essences.
By using everyday transformations, it highlights that what we call an object (or a person’s status) depends on function and context, not on an unchanging, independent identity.
Even when the verse discusses names and worldly status, the Purana’s larger frame places all changing forms and orders of society within Vishnu’s sustaining sovereignty—ultimate reality remains grounded in him while worldly titles remain provisional.