Shloka 71
अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः
अष्टावक्रः पुरा विप्रो जलवासरतो ऽभवत् बहून् वर्षगणान् पार्थ गृणन् ब्रह्म सनातनम्
aṣṭāvakraḥ purā vipro jalavāsarato 'bhavat bahūn varṣagaṇān pārtha gṛṇan brahma sanātanam
In ancient times the Brahmin sage Aṣṭāvakra dwelt within the waters; O Pārtha, through many cycles of years, steadfast in austerity and restraint, he ceaselessly sang the praise of the Eternal Brahman.
Sage Parāśara (narrating within the Vishnu Purana’s frame dialogue to Maitreya; this verse itself preserves an address 'Pārtha' from an embedded narration/traditional phrasing)
Concept: Steady praise of the sanātana Brahman, sustained through long tapas, is presented as a perfected devotional discipline.
Vedantic Theme: Brahman
Application: Maintain a daily, long-term practice of nāma/stotra-japa with restraint of senses and patience.
Vishishtadvaita: Brahman is approached through personal praise (stuti), aligning knowledge of the Absolute with loving devotion rather than mere abstraction.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
It functions as an exemplar of extreme tapas: sustained bodily restraint paired with continuous brahma-stuti, presenting ascetic discipline as a force that stabilizes dharma across long spans of time.
Parāśara uses exemplary sages to show that devotion expressed as recitation and praise is not merely ritual—when directed to the Eternal Brahman, it becomes a transformative practice that sustains spiritual realization and moral order.
Even when the verse says ‘Brahman,’ the Vishnu Purana’s broader theology consistently frames the supreme, eternal reality as the highest principle ultimately identified with Viṣṇu—so brahma-stuti here aligns with devotion to the Supreme.