Shloka 17
Puruṣottama-māhātmya
The Greatness of Puruṣottama Kṣetra
उच्चैः श्रवा यथाश्वानां कवीनामुशना यथा । मुनीनां च यथा व्यासः कुबेरो यक्षरक्षसाम् ॥ १७ ॥
uccaiḥ śravā yathāśvānāṃ kavīnāmuśanā yathā | munīnāṃ ca yathā vyāsaḥ kubero yakṣarakṣasām || 17 ||
Như Uccaiḥśravā đứng đầu trong loài ngựa, Uśanā (Śukrācārya) đứng đầu trong các thi nhân, Vyāsa đứng đầu trong các bậc hiền triết, và Kubera đứng đầu giữa Yakṣa và Rākṣasa—cũng vậy, đấng được tán dương nơi đây được hiểu là tối thượng trong lĩnh vực của Ngài.
Suta (narrating the Purana’s account; verse framed as a laudatory comparison within the Mahatmya flow)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It uses well-known “foremost among their kind” exemplars to convey spiritual superlative—teaching that true greatness is recognized by dharmic excellence and that the praised object (often a tirtha, deity, or vow in Mahatmya sections) is to be regarded as supreme in its sphere.
Bhakti literature often strengthens śraddhā through stuti: by comparing the worship-worthy focus to universally acknowledged paragons (Vyāsa, Kubera, etc.), the text encourages single-pointed reverence and confident devotion toward the praised sacred focus.
The verse reflects the vedic-puranic method of arthavāda (eulogistic reinforcement) and itihāsa-purāṇa style pedagogy—using authoritative cultural references to make a doctrinal point memorable, though it does not teach a specific Vedāṅga technique (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) directly.