Shloka 13
स्वर्गगमनम्, अदितिस्तुतिः-मायातत्त्वम्, तथा पारिजात-प्रसङ्गे इन्द्रयुद्धम्
स्थूला मध्यास् तथा सूक्ष्माः सूक्ष्मात् सूक्ष्मतराश् च ये देहभेदा भवान् सर्वे ये केचित् पुद्गलाश्रयाः
sthūlā madhyās tathā sūkṣmāḥ sūkṣmāt sūkṣmatarāś ca ye dehabhedā bhavān sarve ye kecit pudgalāśrayāḥ
All distinctions of bodies—gross, intermediate, subtle, and even subtler than the subtle—every embodied form resting upon material aggregation, O Lord, is included within this account.
Sage Parāśara
Concept: All embodied distinctions—from gross to exceedingly subtle—remain within the scope of material aggregation (pudgala) and thus are objects to be discerned rather than identified with.
Vedantic Theme: Atman
Application: Practice viveka by observing bodily and mental layers as changing aggregates, not as the Self, especially in meditation and daily reactions.
Vishishtadvaita: Body-graded plurality is real at the level of prakṛti, while the Self remains distinct; this supports the jīva–śarīra/śarīrī discrimination central to qualified non-dualism.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse frames all embodied forms as gradated—gross, intermediate, subtle, and subtler—showing that creation includes multiple layers of embodiment, not only the visible physical body.
He explains bodily diversity as encompassing every form that depends on material aggregation (pudgala), indicating that embodiment is a spectrum of subtlety within prakṛti’s domain.
By cataloging all embodied states as part of the created order, the text implicitly situates them under the sovereignty of the Supreme Reality (Vishnu), who transcends yet governs the entire field of material embodiment.