Shloka 18
यत् तु मेघैः समुत्सृष्टं वारि तत् प्राणिनां द्विज पुष्णात्य् ओषधयः सर्वा जीवनायामृतं हि तत्
yat tu meghaiḥ samutsṛṣṭaṃ vāri tat prāṇināṃ dvija puṣṇāty oṣadhayaḥ sarvā jīvanāyāmṛtaṃ hi tat
But the water released by the clouds—O twice-born one—nourishes all living beings. From it all herbs and plants are sustained; indeed, for the sake of life it is as nectar itself.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Distinction between sacred ‘sky-Gaṅgā’ rain and ordinary cloud-rain; its function for life
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: instructive
Concept: Cloud-rain is praised as life-sustaining ‘nectar’ that nourishes all beings and supports medicinal and food plants.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Honor water as sacred commons: conserve, avoid pollution, and support equitable access as a dharmic duty.
Vishishtadvaita: Bhūmi and her fertility are meaningful within a divinely ordered reality; sustaining life is a sacred function, not a mere utilitarian fact.
Lakshmi Presence: Bhumi
FAQs
This verse presents rainwater as the direct sustainer of life—nourishing beings and plants—showing cosmic order as a sacred, life-preserving system.
Parāśara frames sustenance as a chain: clouds release water, water nourishes herbs and all beings, and thus life continues through an orderly, divinely grounded process.
Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching aligns with Vishnu’s role as the Supreme Sustainer (sthiti), whose sovereignty is expressed through the dependable laws of nature that preserve life.