Shloka 50

अविद्याबीज-निरूपणं, योगस्वरूप-उपदेशः, मूर्तहरिधारणा-समाधि, जनकवंशीय-राजर्षिसंवादः

Devanagari script

सनन्दनादयो ब्रह्मभावभावनया युताः कर्मभावनया चान्ये देवाद्याः स्थावराश् चराः

Transliteration

sanandanādayo brahmabhāvabhāvanayā yutāḥ karmabhāvanayā cānye devādyāḥ sthāvarāś carāḥ

Translation

Sanandana và các bậc hiền triết sinh từ tâm khác an trú trong bhāvanā của Phạm; còn những kẻ khác—khởi từ chư thiên—được định hình bởi bhāvanā hướng về nghiệp. Vì thế mọi loài, bất động hay chuyển động, đều sai khác theo khuynh hướng chủ đạo tạo nên bản tính mình.

Word by Word

सनन्दनादयःSanandana and others

ब्रह्मभावभावनयाby Brahman-contemplation

युताःendowed (with)

कर्मभावनयाby action-contemplation

चand

अन्येothers

देवाद्याःgods and the like

स्थावराःimmobile

चराःmoving beings

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

Sanandana

Kumaras (Sanandana and others)

Devas (gods)

Brahman

FAQs

What is the significance of brahma-bhāvanā in the Vishnu Purana?

In this verse, brahma-bhāvanā is the contemplative orientation toward Brahman that characterizes higher ascetic beings like Sanandana, marking a mode of existence defined by realization rather than action.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the difference between sages like Sanandana and the devas?

Parāśara distinguishes them by the formative tendency (bhāvanā): the Kumāras are aligned with Brahman-contemplation, while devas and other beings are aligned with karma-oriented contemplation that sustains cosmic functions.

What is Lord Vishnu’s theological importance in this context?

Though not named in the verse, the Vishnu Purana frames these gradations within Vishnu’s sovereign cosmic order, where diverse modes of being arise and operate under the Supreme Reality that upholds creation.