Shloka 53
सप्तद्वीप-समुद्र-प्रमाणम्: प्लक्षादि-द्वीपवर्णनं, लोकालोक-सीमा, चन्द्र-समुद्र-वृद्धिक्षयः
पुष्कराः पुष्कला धन्यास् तिष्याख्याश् च महामुने ब्राह्मणाः क्षत्रिया वैश्याः शूद्राश् चानुक्रमोदिताः
puṣkarāḥ puṣkalā dhanyās tiṣyākhyāś ca mahāmune brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyāḥ śūdrāś cānukramoditāḥ
اے مہامنی، پُشکر، پُشکل، دھنّیہ اور تِشیہ نامی گروہوں کا ذکر کیا گیا ہے؛ اور ترتیب کے ساتھ چار ورن—برہمن، کشتریہ، ویشیہ اور شودر—بھی بیان کیے گئے ہیں، جو عالم کے مقررہ نظام میں پیدا ہوتے ہیں۔
Sage Parāśara (in discourse to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Peoples/classes in the varṣas and the ordered emergence of the four varṇas
Teaching: Historical
Quality: authoritative
Cosmic Hierarchy: Varshas
Concept: Social order (varṇa) is presented as an ‘anukrama’—a regulated sequence within the world’s ordained pattern.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Honor one’s duties with integrity while respecting the complementary roles of others, aiming at harmony rather than rivalry.
Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is a mode of serving the Lord; differentiated functions can coexist within unity as parts of the divine body (śarīra-śarīrī-bhāva).
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
FAQs
It emphasizes that beings and social orders are presented as part of an arranged cosmic pattern—an ordered enumeration rather than a random origin—supporting the Purana’s theme of universal governance.
He lists them as ‘anukramoditāḥ’—declared in sequence—within a broader catalog of groups, indicating that social categories are integrated into the Purana’s creation/ordering narrative.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the passage functions within the Vishnu Purana’s worldview where the Supreme Sustainer underwrites order (dharma) and structure in creation.