Shloka 11
ऋभु-निदाघ-संवादः — अधः-ऊर्ध्व-दृष्टान्तेन अद्वैतबोधः (राजा-गज-उपमा) तथा मोक्षफलश्रुति
जानाम्य् अहं यथा ब्रह्मंस् तथा माम् अवबोधय अधःशब्दनिगद्यं किं किं चोर्ध्वम् अभिधीयते
jānāmy ahaṃ yathā brahmaṃs tathā mām avabodhaya adhaḥśabdanigadyaṃ kiṃ kiṃ cordhvam abhidhīyate
O revered Brahman, I grasp it in one way; yet instruct me clearly in the true meaning. When the word “below” is spoken, what all is intended by it—and likewise, what is designated as “above”?
Maitreya (questioning Sage Parāśara)
Concept: Conventional directions (‘above/below’) require precise inquiry because truth is not exhausted by relative, positional language.
Vedantic Theme: Atman
Application: Question habitual labels (status, hierarchy, ‘higher/lower’) and seek the underlying criteria before judging self or others.
Vishishtadvaita: Epistemic humility that prepares for seeing ordered reality as meaningful only in relation to the supreme controller (niyantṛ), not mere spatial convention.
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
In this verse, Maitreya asks for a precise definition of cosmological terms—‘below’ and ‘above’—which in the Purana typically map to the ordered hierarchy of lokas (lower subterranean realms and higher celestial realms).
This question sets up Parāśara’s systematic clarification: he teaches by defining technical words (like adhaḥ/ūrdhva) and then expanding them into an ordered description of realms, consistent with the Purana’s creation (sarga) narrative.
Even when the verse is about spatial terms, the Vishnu Purana’s cosmology is ultimately framed as an ordered universe sustained by the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—so defining ‘above’ and ‘below’ supports the larger vision of divine sovereignty over all realms.