Shloka 3

ऋभु–निदाघ-संवादः—अद्वैत-उपदेशः, समता, वासुदेव-स्वरूप-एकत्वम्

Devanagari script

ऋभुर् नामाभवत् पुत्रो ब्रह्मणः परमेष्ठिनः विज्ञाततत्त्वसद्भावो निसर्गाद् एव भूपते

Transliteration

ṛbhur nāmābhavat putro brahmaṇaḥ parameṣṭhinaḥ vijñātatattvasadbhāvo nisargād eva bhūpate

Translation

O king, there was a son of Brahmā, the Supreme Ordainer (Parameṣṭhin), named Ṛbhu; by his very nature from birth he knew the true principle of reality and the genuine state of being.

Word by Word

• ऋभुः: Ṛbhu
• ऋभुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: नाम-शब्दः (particle) ‘by name’ इत्यर्थे

• अभवत्: was; became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लकारः—लङ् (Imperfect/past), पुरुषः—प्रथमः (3rd), वचनम्—एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• पुत्रः: son
• पुत्रः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘ऋभुः’ इत्यस्य अप्पोजिशन (apposition)

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• परमेष्ठिनः: of the Supreme Lord (Parameṣṭhin, i.e., Brahmā)
• परमेष्ठिनः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परमेष्ठिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; ‘ब्रह्मणः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• विज्ञाततत्त्वसद्भावः: one who has realized the true reality
• विज्ञाततत्त्वसद्भावः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विज्ञात (कृदन्त, क्त; √ज्ञा) + तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक) + सद्भाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समासः—‘विज्ञातः तत्त्वस्य सद्भावः येन सः’ (one by whom the true nature of reality is known)

• निसर्गात्: by nature; naturally
• निसर्गात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Ablative/हेतु-अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निसर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; हेतौ/कारणे (ablative of cause)

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (emphatic particle)

• भूपते: O king
• भूपते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya; the verse addresses a kingly epithet as a conventional vocative)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Background of Ṛbhu as a naturally realized teacher

Teaching: Historical

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: A true teacher is marked by direct knowledge of tattva and stable realization, sometimes described as innate (nisargaja) clarity.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Evaluate teachings by the teacher’s steadiness, clarity, and freedom from egoic display; prioritize realized guidance over mere rhetoric.

Vishishtadvaita: Tattva-jñāna is portrayed as a positive apprehension of reality’s true state, compatible with theistic Vedānta where Brahman is knowable and personal (not merely an abstract negation).

Dynasty & Genealogy

Dharma Exemplar: jñāna (innate tattva-jñāna)

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā (Parameṣṭhin)
• Ṛbhu

FAQs

What is the significance of Ṛbhu in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents Ṛbhu as a son of Brahmā and emphasizes his innate realization of tattva, marking him as a spiritually authoritative figure within early creation-lineages.

How does Sage Parāśara explain innate spiritual knowledge in this context?

By stating that Ṛbhu knew the truth 'from birth' (nisargād eva), Parāśara frames realization as an inborn disposition in certain primordial beings who arise in the creation sequence.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Vishnu Purana’s genealogies function within a Vishnu-centered cosmos—where creation and its sages ultimately serve the maintenance of universal order under the Supreme Reality identified with Vishnu.