Shloka 1

ऋभु-निदाघ-संवादः — अधः-ऊर्ध्व-दृष्टान्तेन अद्वैतबोधः (राजा-गज-उपमा) तथा मोक्षफलश्रुति

Devanagari script

ऋभुर् वर्षसहस्रे तु समतीते नरेश्वर निदाघज्ञानदानाय तद् एव नगरं ययौ

Transliteration

ṛbhur varṣasahasre tu samatīte nareśvara nidāghajñānadānāya tad eva nagaraṃ yayau

Translation

హే నరేశ్వరా! వెయ్యేళ్లు గడిచిన తరువాత ఋభువు మళ్లీ అదే నగరానికి వెళ్లెను, నిదాఘునికి తాపశ్రమను శమింపజేసే వైరాగ్యశీతల జ్ఞానాన్ని ప్రసాదించుటకు।

Word by Word

• ऋभुः: Ribhu (a sage)
• ऋभुः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• वर्षसहस्रे: in (the) thousand years
• वर्षसहस्रे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Locative of time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वर्षाणां सहस्रे)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), विरोध/अन्वयार्थे

• समतीते: having elapsed/when (it) had passed
• समतीते: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/qualifier of time)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + अति + इ (धातु) → समतीत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/क्तवत्-भाव), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग; 'वर्षसहस्रे' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• नरेश्वर: O lord of men (king)
• नरेश्वर: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नराणाम् ईश्वरः)

• निदाघज्ञानदानाय: for giving instruction/knowledge to Nidāgha
• निदाघज्ञानदानाय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/Dative purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निदाघ (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (निदाघस्य ज्ञानस्य दानाय / निदाघाय ज्ञानदानाय)

• तत्: that (same)
• तत्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; 'एव' सह निर्देशार्थम्

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Discourse particle (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• नगरम्: city
• नगरम्: Karma (कर्म/Object of motion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नगर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ययौ: went
• ययौ: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya; addressing him as ‘nareśvara’ in this passage)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Instruction to Nidāgha through Ṛbhu’s return after a long interval; the imparting of cooling knowledge (vairāgya/jñāna).

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ṛbhu returns to bestow jñāna that cools the ‘heat’ of saṃsāra through dispassion and discernment.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Use discomfort and restlessness as cues to practice viveka and reduce craving-driven engagement with crowds and status.

Vishishtadvaita: Liberating knowledge is received by the jīva through grace-mediated instruction while remaining within the Lord-governed world-order.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Ṛbhu
• Nidāgha

FAQs

What is the significance of Ṛbhu returning after a thousand years in the Vishnu Purana?

It highlights the Purāṇic sense of vast time and the idea that spiritual instruction ripens over long periods; the guru returns when the disciple is ready for deeper knowledge.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the transmission of liberating knowledge through this episode?

By presenting Ṛbhu’s deliberate journey to ‘give knowledge’ to Nidāgha, Parāśara frames liberation as arising from direct instruction and insight rather than mere ritual or status.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Though Vishnu is not named in this verse, the narrative supports the Vishnu Purana’s theology that ultimate freedom comes from true knowledge aligned with the Supreme Reality (Vishnu) that underlies and transcends worldly sovereignty.