Shloka 7
ऋभु-निदाघ-संवादः — अधः-ऊर्ध्व-दृष्टान्तेन अद्वैतबोधः (राजा-गज-उपमा) तथा मोक्षफलश्रुति
यो ऽयं गजेन्द्रम् उन्मत्तम् अद्रिशृङ्गसमुच्छ्रितम् अधिरूढो नरेन्द्रो ऽयं परिलोकस् तथेतरः
yo 'yaṃ gajendram unmattam adriśṛṅgasamucchritam adhirūḍho narendro 'yaṃ parilokas tathetaraḥ
This king, mounted upon a lordly elephant—maddened and towering like a mountain-peak—seems to gaze beyond the common world; and yet he is also of this world, moving among men.
Sage Parashara (narrating to Maitreya)
Concept: A being may appear ‘otherworldly’ while acting in the world; true status is not exhausted by visible embodiment.
Vedantic Theme: Brahman
Application: Cultivate inner vision: evaluate leaders and teachers by qualities and insight, not only by grandeur or spectacle.
Vishishtadvaita: Echoes the Viśiṣṭādvaita tension of transcendence and immanence—lordship can be ‘beyond’ yet present within worldly action (antaryāmin intuition).
Vishnu Form: Narayana
Bhakti Type: shanta
Antaryamin: Yes
FAQs
It signals imperial power and public sovereignty, portraying the king as visibly elevated—both literally and symbolically—above ordinary men.
By describing the king as simultaneously “otherworldly” and “of this world,” Parashara suggests that true rulership carries a dharmic aura beyond mere politics while still operating within human society.
Even when Vishnu is not named in a given verse, the Purana’s dynastic accounts imply that legitimate sovereignty and order ultimately rest on the cosmic governance upheld by Vishnu.