Shloka 98
सूर्यरथ-कालचक्र-आयनविभागः, संध्योपासनम्, देवयान-पितृयानम्, विष्णुपद-गङ्गावतरणम्
ऊर्ध्वोत्तरम् ऋषिभ्यस् तु ध्रुवो यत्र व्यवस्थितः एतद् विष्णुपदं दिव्यं तृतीयं व्योम्नि भास्वरम्
ūrdhvottaram ṛṣibhyas tu dhruvo yatra vyavasthitaḥ etad viṣṇupadaṃ divyaṃ tṛtīyaṃ vyomni bhāsvaram
Higher even than the abodes of the Ṛṣis is the station where Dhruva stands firmly established. That third, radiant region in the heavens is the divine ‘Vishnupada’—the Footstep of Vishnu, shining in the vault of space.
Sage Parāśara (to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The placement of Dhruva above the Ṛṣis and the identification of that realm as Viṣṇupada
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: revealing
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
Concept: The highest luminous station is designated ‘Viṣṇupada,’ implying that ultimate orientation and refuge are in the Lord’s supreme realm beyond ordinary celestial abodes.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Let spiritual aspiration rise beyond mere ‘heavenly’ goals toward God-centered liberation; keep remembrance (smaraṇa) as the axis of life.
Vishishtadvaita: The ‘supreme place’ is real and personal—belonging to Viṣṇu—supporting a theistic, abode-centered mokṣa rather than impersonal absorption alone.
Vishnu Form: Narayana
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
In this verse, Vishnupada is presented as a divine, radiant heavenly station—higher than the sages’ realms—signifying Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty over cosmic order and the loftiest regions of the universe.
Parashara describes Dhruva as firmly established in a higher celestial station beyond the Ṛṣis’ region, indicating a fixed, enduring placement that functions as a cosmic reference point within the ordered universe.
By naming the highest radiant station “Vishnupada,” the text frames the cosmos as grounded in Vishnu’s supremacy—his ‘footstep’ marking the ultimate, sanctified realm and affirming Vaishnava metaphysics of a highest divine reality.