Shloka 1
उपसंहारः, वैष्णवपुराण-प्रशंसा, फलश्रुति, परम्परा-प्रवहः (पाठ-श्रवण-फलम्)
इत्य् एष कथितः सम्यक् तृतीयः प्रतिसंचरः आत्यन्तिको विमुक्तिर् या लयो ब्रह्मणि शाश्वते
ity eṣa kathitaḥ samyak tṛtīyaḥ pratisaṃcaraḥ ātyantiko vimuktir yā layo brahmaṇi śāśvate
Thus the third pratisaṃcara has been rightly described—namely, the ultimate liberation: complete merging into the eternal Brahman.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Classification of pratisaṃcara, specifically the third: ātyantika (final) liberation as laya in eternal Brahman.
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Ātyantika pratisaṃcara is defined as vimukti itself: complete dissolution/absorption in the eternal Brahman.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Keep liberation as the ultimate telos while practicing purification (ethics, meditation, devotion) that steadily loosens identification with transient states.
Vishishtadvaita: Even when described as ‘laya in Brahman,’ the Vishnu Purana’s broader identification of Brahman with Viṣṇu supports mokṣa as communion with the Supreme Person, preserving qualified non-dualism.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
It identifies the highest kind of dissolution as ātyantika—ultimate liberation—distinct from cyclical cosmic dissolutions, emphasizing release into the eternal Absolute.
He defines it as laya—complete absorption—into śāśvata Brahman, presenting liberation as a final, non-returning consummation beyond recurring cosmic cycles.
By presenting liberation as union with the eternal Brahman within a Purāṇic Vaishnava discourse, it frames the Supreme Reality as the ultimate ground into which the liberated state resolves.