Shloka 70
आत्यन्तिक-लयहेतुः: तापत्रय-विवेचनम् तथा ‘भगवान्/वासुदेव’ शब्दार्थः
Threefold Suffering and the Path to Final Liberation; Meaning of Bhagavān and Vāsudeva
एवं निगदितार्थस्य स तत्त्वं तस्य तत्त्वतः ज्ञायते येन तज् ज्ञानं परम् अन्यत् त्रयीमयम्
evaṃ nigaditārthasya sa tattvaṃ tasya tattvataḥ jñāyate yena taj jñānaṃ param anyat trayīmayam
Thus, the Reality of what has been explained is known in truth by that through which it is known. That knowledge is the Supreme; all other knowledge is merely of the Triad—the Vedas.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: What constitutes ‘supreme knowledge’ (para-jñāna) by which Reality is truly known, contrasted with merely Vedic/ritual learning.
Teaching: Philosophical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Supreme knowledge is that by which the Reality is known in its true principle; other learning, even Vedic, is secondary if it does not yield tattva-jñāna.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Prioritize transformative understanding: study śāstra with a teacher, reflect (manana), and meditate (nididhyāsana) until knowledge reshapes conduct and devotion.
Vishishtadvaita: Aligns śāstra with its telos: Vedic learning culminates in knowing the personal Supreme Reality (Viṣṇu/Bhagavān) as the highest tattva, not in ritualism alone.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
It distinguishes the highest realization (para-jñāna) from knowledge that is primarily Vedic in form—rooted in the threefold Vedic corpus—implying that scriptural learning alone is not the final end without direct realization of tattva.
He frames supreme knowledge as that by which the true Reality is known 'tattvataḥ' (as it really is), while other knowledge remains at the level of the Trayī—valuable, but not identical to direct realization of the ultimate principle.
The verse supports a Vedāntic hierarchy where Vishnu, as the Supreme Reality, is the object of the highest knowledge—surpassing mere textual mastery and pointing toward realized understanding central to Vaiṣṇava theology.