Shloka 22
लोकसंस्थानम्, ग्रहदूरी-प्रमाणम्, ब्रह्माण्डावरणानि, विष्णोः जगत्कारणत्वम्
एतद् अण्डकटाहेन तिर्यक् चोर्ध्वम् अधस् तथा कपित्थस्य यथा बीजं सर्वतो वै समावृतम्
etad aṇḍakaṭāhena tiryak cordhvam adhas tathā kapitthasya yathā bījaṃ sarvato vai samāvṛtam
All this is enclosed by the shell of the Cosmic Egg—sideways, above, and below—on every side, as the seed of the kapittha is wrapped within its fruit.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How the brahmāṇḍa is enclosed on all sides by its shell, illustrated by the kapittha seed analogy
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: illustrative
Creation Stage: Secondary
Cosmic Hierarchy: Brahmanda
Concept: The cosmos is not infinite in extension within its own frame; it is enclosed and bounded like a seed within a fruit, indicating layered containment.
Vedantic Theme: Brahman
Application: Practice ‘cosmic perspective’ meditation: visualize the universe as contained and governed, reducing anxiety and fostering surrender to the divine order.
Vishishtadvaita: Containment imagery coheres with the Lord as the all-encompassing support (ādhāra): the universe exists within Him while remaining a real, structured whole.
Vishnu Form: Narayana
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
It describes the universe as a structured, bounded reality—enclosed on every side—emphasizing cosmic order rather than a random or uncontained creation.
He uses a vivid simile: the cosmos is covered in every direction by its shell, like a seed fully surrounded by the fruit of the wood-apple.
Even while discussing cosmic mechanics, the Purana frames the ordered universe as existing within the supreme governance of Vishnu, the sustaining ground of all worlds.