Shloka 17
देवकी-विवाहः, आकाशवाणी, भूरभारावतरण-याचना, क्षीराब्धि-स्तुति, केशावतार-नियोजनम्
आदित्या मरुतः साध्या रुद्रा वस्वश्विवह्नयः पितरो ये च लोकानां स्रष्टारो ऽत्रिपुरोगमाः
ādityā marutaḥ sādhyā rudrā vasvaśvivahnayaḥ pitaro ye ca lokānāṃ sraṣṭāro 'tripurogamāḥ
The Ādityas, the Maruts, the Sādhyas, the Rudras, the Vasus, the Aśvins, and the sacred Fires; and the Pitṛs too—progenitors who create and uphold the worlds, led by Atri—are here invoked and remembered in their cosmic order.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Enumeration of cosmic orders (deva-gaṇas, pitṛs, progenitors) as expressions dependent on Viṣṇu
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
Concept: The various deva-gaṇas and pitṛ/progenitor orders that create and uphold the lokas function within a divinely ordered hierarchy grounded in Viṣṇu.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Contemplate cosmic interdependence and perform duties (including ancestral rites) with the understanding of a higher divine order.
Vishishtadvaita: A real hierarchy of beings administers the worlds, yet their capacities are sustained by the Supreme as inner ground and cause.
Vishnu Form: Narayana
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse situates the narrative within a structured cosmic polity—multiple divine orders function as administrators of creation, ultimately operating under the supreme sovereignty of Vishnu.
Parāśara presents certain sages and ancestral powers—here led by Atri—as world-progenitors, emphasizing that creation proceeds through ordained lineages and delegated cosmic functions.
Even when many deities and progenitors are named, the Purana’s framework treats them as instruments within a higher unity—Vishnu as the supreme ground of order, protection, and cosmic continuity.