Shloka 87
संज्ञायते येन तद् अस्तदोषं शुद्धं परं निर्मलम् एकरूपम् संदृश्यते वाप्य् अवगम्यते वा तज् ज्ञानम् अज्ञानम् अतो ऽन्यद् उक्तम्
saṃjñāyate yena tad astadoṣaṃ śuddhaṃ paraṃ nirmalam ekarūpam saṃdṛśyate vāpy avagamyate vā taj jñānam ajñānam ato 'nyad uktam
That by which the Supreme—faultless, pure, transcendent, stainless, and of one undivided nature—is truly known, whether directly beheld or inwardly realized: that alone is called knowledge. Whatever is other than this is declared to be ignorance.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Teaching: Philosophical
Quality: revealing
Concept: Knowledge is that by which the faultless, pure, stainless, one Supreme Reality is truly known—by direct vision or inner realization; all else is ignorance.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Practice viveka by testing whether an insight leads to stable realization of the Supreme; treat distractions and merely worldly learning as secondary.
Vishishtadvaita: Defines true jñāna as God-realization (not mere abstraction), aligning liberation with knowing the one pure Lord who is the object of realization.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse defines knowledge as that which leads to realization of the faultless, pure, supreme One; everything else—mere worldly learning without that realization—is classed as ignorance.
Parāśara states that knowledge is whatever enables direct vision or clear realization of the Supreme Reality; any cognition that does not culminate in that recognition is termed ajñāna (ignorance).
Vishnu is presented as the Supreme, defectless, and stainless Reality (Para Brahman); knowing Him—by vision or realization—is the Purana’s criterion for genuine spiritual knowledge.