Shloka 30
शरद्वर्णनं, योगोपमा, तथा गोवर्धन-यज्ञप्रवर्तनम्
विद्यया यो यया युक्तस् तस्य सा दैवतं महत् सैव पूज्यार्चनीया च सैव तस्योपकारिका
vidyayā yo yayā yuktas tasya sā daivataṃ mahat saiva pūjyārcanīyā ca saiva tasyopakārikā
Whatever knowledge a person is truly endowed with—for that person, that very knowledge is a great divinity. It alone is worthy of reverent worship and devoted honoring, and it alone becomes the benefactress that supports and uplifts them.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Kṛṣṇa teaches reverence for true knowledge as a sacred power that uplifts the person and society.
Leela: Dharma-upadesa
Dharma Restored: Right orientation to vidyā—honoring the discipline that genuinely sustains one’s life and duty.
Concept: The knowledge by which one is truly endowed becomes one’s ‘great divinity’—worthy of honor—because it supports and elevates one’s life.
Vedantic Theme: Atman
Application: Treat your true discipline (study, craft, service) as a sacred trust: practice it with integrity, humility, and dedication rather than vanity.
Vishishtadvaita: Vidyā is honored as a śakti that serves the jīva’s dharma and ultimately leads toward Bhagavān; learning becomes a mode of service within the God-centered whole.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse elevates true knowledge to the status of a “great divinity,” implying that inner understanding is itself worthy of worship because it guides, protects, and uplifts one’s life in accordance with dharma.
Parāśara frames knowledge not merely as information but as a living support (upakārikā): something to be revered and practiced, because it becomes the direct means of steadying one’s conduct and discernment.
Though Vishnu is not named here, the Purana’s broader Vaishnava frame treats true knowledge as aligned with the Supreme Order upheld by Vishnu—so honoring vidyā is a way of honoring the divine principle that sustains dharma and the cosmos.