Shloka 17
ऋभु-निदाघ-संवादः — अधः-ऊर्ध्व-दृष्टान्तेन अद्वैतबोधः (राजा-गज-उपमा) तथा मोक्षफलश्रुति
तवोपदेशदानाय पूर्वशुश्रूषणादृतः गुरुस् ते ऽहम् ऋभुर् नाम्ना निदाघ समुपागतः
tavopadeśadānāya pūrvaśuśrūṣaṇādṛtaḥ gurus te 'ham ṛbhur nāmnā nidāgha samupāgataḥ
நிதாகா, உனக்கு உபதேசம் அளிக்கவே—முன்பு நீ பக்தியுடன் செய்த சேவையை மதித்து—நான், உன் குரு, ‘ரிபு’ என்னும் நாமத்துடன் உன்னிடம் வந்தேன்।
Sage Ṛbhu (addressing Nidāgha, as narrated within Parasara’s discourse to Maitreya)
FAQs
The verse frames instruction as a fruit of prior devoted service (śuśrūṣā), presenting the guru–śiṣya bond as the proper channel for transmitting liberating knowledge.
Readiness is shown through earlier reverence and attentive service; Ṛbhu’s return ‘to give instruction’ implies that humility and discipline qualify the student for deeper teaching.
Though Vishnu is not named in this single line, the Purana’s broader purpose is to orient such instruction toward realizing the Supreme Reality upheld by Vishnu—where right discipline and right knowledge culminate in liberation.