Shloka 25
अविद्याबीज-निरूपणं, योगस्वरूप-उपदेशः, मूर्तहरिधारणा-समाधि, जनकवंशीय-राजर्षिसंवादः
तद् एतत् कथितं बीजम् अविद्याया मया तव क्लेशानां च क्षयकरं योगाद् अन्यन् न विद्यते
tad etat kathitaṃ bījam avidyāyā mayā tava kleśānāṃ ca kṣayakaraṃ yogād anyan na vidyate
Thus have I explained to you that very seed of ignorance; and for the wearing away of the afflictions there is nothing to be known as equal to Yoga—no other means exists apart from it.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The ‘seed’ of avidyā and the sole effective means (yoga) for the destruction of kleśas
Teaching: Philosophical
Quality: compassionate
Concept: Having disclosed the root of ignorance, Parāśara states that Yoga is the unsurpassed means for the exhaustion of afflictions.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Adopt a consistent yoga discipline—ethical restraints, meditation, and discernment—to weaken kleśas (reactivity, craving, fear) at their root.
Vishishtadvaita: Yoga is presented as a real soteriological means that purifies the jīva’s consciousness, preparing it for God-realization rather than asserting liberation as mere conceptual knowledge.
FAQs
This verse identifies avidyā as the “seed” (bīja) underlying bondage and suffering; understanding it is essential because liberation requires uprooting this root-cause.
Parāśara states that kleśas are destroyed (kṣaya-kara) through Yoga, presenting it as the decisive method for inner purification and release.
Within the Vishnu Purana’s moksha-teaching frame, Yoga is meaningful as a God-centered discipline: it culminates in realization of the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—by dissolving ignorance and its afflictive consequences.