Shloka 57
अक्रूर-सत्कारः, मथुरायात्रा-विरहः, यमुनातटे दिव्यदर्शनम्, चतुर्व्यूह-नमस्कारः
विश्वं भवान् सृजति सूर्यगभस्तिरूपो विश्वं च ते गुणमयो ऽयम् अज प्रपञ्चः रूपं परं सद् इति वाचकम् अक्षरं यज् ज्ञानात्मने सदसते प्रणतो ऽस्मि तस्मै
viśvaṃ bhavān sṛjati sūryagabhastirūpo viśvaṃ ca te guṇamayo 'yam aja prapañcaḥ rūpaṃ paraṃ sad iti vācakam akṣaraṃ yaj jñānātmane sadasate praṇato 'smi tasmai
You bring forth the universe, taking the form of the sun’s radiance; and, O Unborn One, this entire manifold world, constituted of the guṇas, is yours. Your supreme reality is signified by the imperishable syllable that declares “Sat” (Being). To Him who is the very Self of knowledge—both the manifest and the unmanifest—I bow in reverence.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya; verse occurs within a praise/definition of the Supreme Vishnu)
Creation Stage: Primary
Cosmic Hierarchy: Brahmanda (universe)
Concept: The Lord creates as the sun-like radiance and the guṇa-constituted world is His manifestation; His supreme reality is indicated by the imperishable signifier of ‘Sat’, and He is the very Self of knowledge, both manifest and unmanifest.
Vedantic Theme: Brahman
Application: Meditate on the Lord as the light behind perception (like solar radiance) and as the knower within; let this unify devotion and inquiry into Being (sat).
Vishishtadvaita: Holds together transcendence (‘paraṃ rūpam’) and immanence (creation as His radiance; guṇa-maya prapañca as dependent manifestation), aligning with the Lord as both material/efficient cause and inner knower.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Antaryamin: Yes
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
It presents Vishnu as the luminous, sustaining cause of manifestation—creation is portrayed as an emanation like sunlight, emphasizing divine sovereignty over the cosmos.
He frames the world-process as appearing through the three guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas), while its ultimate ground remains the unborn Supreme—Vishnu—who transcends yet pervades these qualities.
It indicates Vishnu’s supremacy as the basis of both the manifest (experienced existence) and the unmanifest (prior or subtle condition), aligning Purāṇic cosmology with Vedāntic claims about the Absolute.