Shloka 38
भविष्य-मन्वन्तराः (अष्टम-चतुर्दश) तथा कल्प-युग-व्यवस्था
सुत्रामाणः सुकर्माणः सुधर्माणस् तथा सुराः त्रयस् त्रिंशद्विभेदास् ते देवानां ये तु वै गणाः
sutrāmāṇaḥ sukarmāṇaḥ sudharmāṇas tathā surāḥ trayas triṃśadvibhedās te devānāṃ ye tu vai gaṇāḥ
Sutrāmāṇas, Sukarmāṇas, and Sudharmāṇas—these too are divine beings. These are, indeed, the thirty-threefold divisions: the companies (gaṇas) that constitute the hosts of the gods.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Manvantara administration: classes of devas (gaṇas) and the traditional count of thirty-three
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Creation Stage: Manvantara
Manvantara: Raucyā
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
Concept: The deva-hosts are organized into recognized gaṇas and counted in traditional groupings, reflecting an ordered cosmos.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: See natural and social systems as interdependent orders; cooperate with dharma rather than resisting it.
Vishishtadvaita: Cosmic hierarchy functions as the body of the Lord’s governance—many administrators, one supreme ruler (Nārāyaṇa).
Vishnu Form: Narayana
FAQs
This verse frames the devas as organized into recognized groupings, counted as the “thirty-threefold” divisions—an enumeration used to express cosmic administration rather than random mythic plurality.
Parāśara lists specific deva-classes (gaṇas) by name, presenting the gods as structured categories within the Manvantara framework, thereby mapping how the universe is governed through ranked divine hosts.
Even when the verse names deva-groups, the Vishnu Purana’s larger intent is that such orders function within a higher sovereignty—ultimately grounded in Vishnu as the supreme regulator of cosmic order.