Shloka 62
अन्धं तम इवाज्ञानं दीपवच् चेन्द्रियोद्भवम् यथा सूर्यस् तथा ज्ञानं यद् विप्रर्षे विवेकजम्
andhaṃ tama ivājñānaṃ dīpavac cendriyodbhavam yathā sūryas tathā jñānaṃ yad viprarṣe vivekajam
Ignorance is like blind darkness; knowledge arising from the senses is like a lamp. But knowledge born of viveka, O best of sages, is like the sun.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Hierarchy of knowing: ignorance, sense-born knowledge, and viveka-born knowledge that is self-luminous
Teaching: Philosophical
Quality: revealing
Concept: Ignorance is darkness, sensory knowledge is limited like a lamp, but viveka-born knowledge is like the sun—self-revealing and fully disclosive of reality.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Use sensory learning as a preliminary aid, but prioritize contemplative discrimination (viveka) to test assumptions and see through appearances.
Vishishtadvaita: Distinguishes mediated cognition from higher, clarifying insight that reveals the Supreme as truly is, aligning with the Vishishtadvaita stress on right knowledge (samyag-jñāna) culminating in God-realization rather than mere sensory inference.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse ranks viveka-born knowledge as “sun-like,” meaning it is self-revealing and fully illuminating, unlike sensory knowledge which is only partial—thereby marking viveka as essential for true understanding.
He compares sense-based knowledge to a lamp that gives limited light, while discernment-based knowledge is compared to the sun, which reveals reality comprehensively and without dependence.
By elevating viveka-jñāna as the highest illumination, the text prepares the seeker to recognize the Supreme Reality—ultimately Vishnu—not through fragmented perception but through clear inner discernment aligned with dharma.