Shloka 57
Cosmic Appointments, Viṣṇu’s Vibhūtis, Fourfold Operation, and the Symbolism of Ornaments and Weapons
ततो मनुष्याः पशवो मृगपक्षिसरीसृपाः न्यूना न्यूनतराश् चैव वृक्षगुल्मादयस् ततः
tato manuṣyāḥ paśavo mṛgapakṣisarīsṛpāḥ nyūnā nyūnatarāś caiva vṛkṣagulmādayas tataḥ
Затем появились люди; потом животные; затем олени, птицы и пресмыкающиеся — каждый последующий разряд менее одарён, чем предыдущий; а после них возникли деревья, кустарники и прочие. Так, по владычному установлению Вишну, способности и место в космическом порядке распределялись ступенями.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
FAQs
It presents creation as an ordered hierarchy where successive forms of life are described as comparatively less endowed, emphasizing a structured cosmic arrangement rather than randomness.
Parāśara lists categories of beings arising “thereafter” in a descending gradation—humans, animals, birds/reptiles, and then vegetation—framing creation as sequential and systematically differentiated.
Even when not named explicitly in the verse, the Vishnu Purana’s creation account is grounded in Viṣṇu’s supreme governance: the hierarchy and distribution of capacities among beings reflect His sustaining cosmic sovereignty.