Shloka 34
ऋभु–निदाघ-संवादः—अद्वैत-उपदेशः, समता, वासुदेव-स्वरूप-एकत्वम्
ऋभुर् अस्मि तवाचार्यः प्रज्ञादानाय ते द्विज इहागतो ऽहं यास्यामि परमार्थस् तवोदितः
ṛbhur asmi tavācāryaḥ prajñādānāya te dvija ihāgato 'haṃ yāsyāmi paramārthas tavoditaḥ
“I am Ṛbhu, your preceptor. O twice-born one, I have come here to bestow discerning wisdom upon you. I shall depart—your highest purpose has been declared.”
Sage Ṛbhu (as the instructing ācārya within the narrative)
Concept: The true teacher comes to bestow prajna (discerning wisdom) and, once the highest aim is communicated, withdraws—signaling completion of the essential instruction.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Treat wisdom as a lived discernment; after receiving core guidance, practice independently with steadiness rather than seeking endless novelty.
Vishishtadvaita: Prajna is a bestowed illumination that orients the soul to its supreme end (paramartha), consistent with grace-mediated realization.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse frames Purāṇic teaching as a direct transmission from an ācārya: wisdom is not merely information, but a transformative insight that aligns the student with paramārtha (the highest aim).
By having Ṛbhu explicitly identify himself as ācārya and state that the ‘highest purpose’ has been declared, the verse emphasizes authorized instruction and the notion of teaching reaching completion once the essential truth is communicated.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the line, the Vishnu Purana’s framework treats true paramārtha as ultimately oriented to the Supreme Reality—Vishnu as the highest principle—so the ‘wisdom bestowed’ is implicitly meant to culminate in that highest understanding.