Vishnu Purana — Amsha 1 - Cosmic Origination, Shloka 31
वासुदेवस्वरूपनिरूपणं—सर्गक्रमश्च
Vāsudeva’s Nature and the Ordered Process of Creation
स एव क्षोभको ब्रह्मन् क्षोभ्यश् च पुरुषोत्तमः स संकोचविकासाभ्यां प्रधानत्वे ऽपि च स्थितः
sa eva kṣobhako brahman kṣobhyaś ca puruṣottamaḥ sa saṃkocavikāsābhyāṃ pradhānatve 'pi ca sthitaḥ
Wahai Brahmana, Dia—Puruṣottama—adalah penggetar kosmos sekaligus yang terguncang. Walau berdiam sebagai Pradhāna, Ia tetap hadir melalui penyusutan dan pengembangan, menarik alam masuk dan membentangkannya kembali.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
FAQs
This verse frames kṣobha as the Supreme’s initiating impulse that sets primordial nature into manifest creation, showing creation is not random but governed by Vishnu’s sovereignty.
Parāśara presents Vishnu/Puruṣottama as present even “as Pradhāna,” implying the Supreme is not merely separate from matter but also pervades and underlies it as its ground.
It emphasizes Vishnu as both the efficient cause (one who initiates) and the material basis (that which becomes manifest), aligning with Vaishnava metaphysics of the Supreme Reality as immanent and transcendent.