Shloka 96
भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः
यत् तु कालान्तरेणापि नान्यसंज्ञाम् उपैति वै परिणामादिसंभूतं तद् वस्तु नृप तच् च किम्
yat tu kālāntareṇāpi nānyasaṃjñām upaiti vai pariṇāmādisaṃbhūtaṃ tad vastu nṛpa tac ca kim
But that which—even as time passes—does not take on any other name or identity, though it may appear through transformation and the like: that alone is truly a ‘thing’, O king. And what is that?
Sage Parāśara (teaching within a didactic frame; addressing a king in the cited line)
Concept: That alone is truly ‘real’ (vastu) whose identity does not shift with time, even while it appears amid transformations—prompting inquiry into the unchanging self.
Vedantic Theme: Atman
Application: Track what changes (body, status, emotions) versus what remains the witnessing continuity; journal this inquiry as a daily practice.
Vishishtadvaita: Affirms a stable self (jīva) persisting through changing states, consistent with Viśiṣṭādvaita’s enduring individual self as a real, dependent entity of Brahman.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse frames reality as that which does not become “something else” in essence over time, preparing the text’s larger claim that the Supreme (Vishnu) is the abiding ground behind all changing forms.
He distinguishes changing appearances—things that arise through modification—from the underlying principle that retains its identity across time; only that enduring principle qualifies as true ‘vastu’.
The verse’s logic supports a Vaishnava conclusion: amid cosmic change, the Supreme Reality remains constant, and the Purana identifies that unchanging sovereign ground with Vishnu.