Shloka 3

परमार्थ-निर्णयः—श्रेयस्-भेदः, कर्म-ध्यान-सीमा, एकात्मदर्शनम्

Devanagari script

एतद् विवेकविज्ञानं यद् अशेषेषु जन्तुषु भवता दर्शितं विप्र तत् परं प्रकृतेर् महत्

Transliteration

etad vivekavijñānaṃ yad aśeṣeṣu jantuṣu bhavatā darśitaṃ vipra tat paraṃ prakṛter mahat

Translation

O brāhmaṇa, this discerning wisdom you have revealed—applicable to all beings without exception—is the supreme principle, greater than Prakṛti itself and even beyond Mahat, the Great Cosmic Intellect.

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (demonstrative pronoun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• विवेकविज्ञानम्: knowledge of discrimination
• विवेकविज्ञानम्: Karta (Subject-apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवेक (प्रातिपदिक) + विज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘विवेकस्य विज्ञानम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (relative pronoun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; correlates with तत्

• अशेषेषु: in all, without remainder
• अशेषेषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine) (agreeing with जन्तुषु), सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन (plural)

• जन्तुषु: in living beings
• जन्तुषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन (plural)

• भवता: by you (sir)
• भवता: Karana (Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भवत्-शब्द (honorific pronoun-like), तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन (singular), पुंलिङ्ग

• दर्शितम्: shown, demonstrated
• दर्शितम्: Kriya (Predicate-participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + णिच् (causative) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘shown/caused to be seen’

• विप्र: O brahmin
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन (singular)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (demonstrative), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• परम्: higher, supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण of तत्

• प्रकृतेः: of Prakriti (nature)
• प्रकृतेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन (singular)

• महत्: Mahat (the Great principle)
• महत्: Sambandha (Predicate-nominal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘महत्’ as tattva (Mahat)

Speaker

Maitreya (addressing Sage Parāśara)

Cosmological Context

Creation Stage: Primary

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Discriminative knowledge (viveka-vijñāna) reveals a principle superior to prakṛti and even mahat, pointing beyond the primary evolutes to the transcendent Self/Supreme.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Use the prakṛti–mahat–ahaṅkāra framework as a meditation map: identify what is 'seen' (prakṛti and its evolutes) and abide as the seer beyond them.

Vishishtadvaita: Affirms a hierarchy where prakṛti is subordinate and consciousness is higher; in Viśiṣṭādvaita this supports the distinction of cit/acit as modes of the Supreme, with the Supreme as the ultimate transcendent ground.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Maitreya
• Parāśara

FAQs

What is the significance of viveka-vijñāna (discriminative wisdom) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse praises viveka-vijñāna as a universally applicable insight that distinguishes the Supreme Reality from all evolutes of nature, placing it beyond Prakṛti and even Mahat.

How does Sage Parāśara explain what lies beyond Prakṛti and Mahat?

In this chapter’s teaching context, Parāśara presents a hierarchy of principles where Prakṛti and Mahat are cosmic categories, yet true discernment points to a higher, supreme principle transcending them.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Although not named in this single line, the Vishnu Purana’s framework identifies the supreme reality beyond Prakṛti and Mahat with Vishnu/Nārāyaṇa as the transcendent ground of all cosmic processes.