Shloka 7
आत्यन्तिक-लयहेतुः: तापत्रय-विवेचनम् तथा ‘भगवान्/वासुदेव’ शब्दार्थः
Threefold Suffering and the Path to Final Liberation; Meaning of Bhagavān and Vāsudeva
मृगपक्षिमनुष्याद्यैः पिशाचोरगराक्षसैः सरीसृपाद्यैश् च नृणां जन्यन्ते चाधिभौतिकः
mṛgapakṣimanuṣyādyaiḥ piśācoragarākṣasaiḥ sarīsṛpādyaiś ca nṛṇāṃ janyante cādhibhautikaḥ
The affliction called adhibhautika arises for human beings through deer and birds, through men and the like, through piśācas, serpents, and rākṣasas, and through reptiles and other such creatures.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Threefold miseries—particularly suffering caused by other beings (adhibhautika)
Teaching: Philosophical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Human suffering arises from other embodied agents—animals, humans, and liminal beings—constituting adhibhautika affliction.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Cultivate non-reactivity and compassionate caution toward other beings; reduce enmity and attachment that amplify adhibhautika distress.
Vishishtadvaita: The world of sentient beings forms the Lord’s body (śarīra); conflicts occur within His ordered cosmos, yet He remains the supreme governor beyond mutual injury.
Vishnu Form: Narayana
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
It classifies suffering that comes from other living beings—animals, humans, and hostile entities—showing how embodied life is affected by the surrounding world within cosmic order.
He explains that one category of distress arises externally through interactions and harms caused by other creatures and beings, distinguishing it from inner and divine/elemental causes.
Even while describing suffering, the Purana frames the world as governed by a higher order; Vishnu stands as the supreme sustaining reality within which karmic experience and cosmic regulation unfold.