Category:Visnu Purana
Theme Analysis
The Viṣṇu Purāṇa is a key sāttvika-purāṇa frequently cited by Śrīla Prabhupāda to establish the philosophical foundations of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Its teachings are pivotal in understanding the nature of the Absolute Truth, the living entities, and the purpose of human society. A central metaphor used in this text is that of fire and its light, illustrating how the Supreme Lord, though situated in one place, pervades the entire existence through His manifold energies. The Viṣṇu Purāṇa categorically distinguishes between the energetic Lord and His energies, classifying the living entities as the parā-śakti or superior energy, yet distinct from the Lord. Furthermore, it defines the goal of the varṇāśrama system solely as the satisfaction of Lord Viṣṇu (viṣṇur ārādhyate), rejecting any social structure devoid of this spiritual aim. It also provides detailed theological insights into the Lord's internal potencies—hlādinī, sandhinī, and samvit—and His transcendental nature, which is free from material faults but full of auspicious qualities.
- The Fire Analogy: Just as fire spreads heat and light from one location, the Lord expands His influence everywhere through His energies.
- Varṇāśrama's Purpose: The only valid purpose of social divisions is to worship Lord Viṣṇu; without this, society is meaningless.
- Jīva Tattva: The living entities are the marginal energy (taṭasthā-śakti) of the Lord, superior to matter but subordinate to the Lord.
- Internal Potencies: The Lord's existence is supported by three primary spiritual energies: pleasure (hlādinī), existence (sandhinī), and knowledge (samvit).
- Transcendental Nature: The Lord is described as samasta-kalyāṇa-guṇātmako hi—the reservoir of all auspicious attributes, untouched by material modes.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Viṣṇu Purāṇa's Teachings.
Subcategories
This category has the following 3 subcategories, out of 3 total.
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Pages in category "Visnu Purana"
The following 96 pages are in this category, out of 96 total.
1
A
- About this remembrance there is a nice statement in the Visnu Purana, where it is said, "Simply by remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead all living entities become eligible for all kinds of auspiciousness"
- According to the Visnu Purana (6.7.61-3), the living entities are considered ksetrajna energy
- According to the Visnu Purana, as quoted in the Vaisnava-tosani, the Lord appeared like the sun - anugrahasaya
- According to the Visnu Purana, the material energy is called avidya, or nescience, and is exhibited in the fruitive activities of sense enjoyment
- According to Visnu Purana, Bhagavad-gita and all other Vedic literatures, the living entities are generated from the tatastha energy of the Lord, and thus they are always the energy of the Lord and are not the energetic
- Arjuna is a ksatriya, and as such he is participating in the varnasrama-dharma institution. It is said in the Visnu Purana that in the varnasrama-dharma, the whole aim is to satisfy Visnu. BG 1972 purports
- As confirmed in the Visnu Purana (3.8.9): by accepting the institution of varna and asrama, one can very easily elevate himself to the platform of worshiping Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- As confirmed in the Visnu Purana, whatever manifestations we experience are nothing but various energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These energies cannot create anything independently
- As confirmed in Visnu Purana (1.12.69): "The pleasure potency of Krsna gives Krsna transcendental pleasure and bliss." Thus when Krsna wants to enjoy pleasure, He exhibits His own spiritual potency known as hladini
- As far as the incarnation of Krsna's hair is concerned, there is mention in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, the Visnu Purana, and the Mahabharata
- As stated in the Visnu Purana: There are 1,100,000 species of insects and reptiles, and there are 1,000,000 species of birds. As far as quadrupeds are concerned, there are 3,000,000 varieties, and there are 400,000 human species
- As stated in the Visnu Purana: There are 900,000 species living in the water. There are also 2,000,000 nonmoving living entities (sthavara), such as trees and plants
B
- Being pleased with the devotee, the Lord turns all his material impediments into spiritual service. In this connection Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura quotes a verse (SB 6.4.27-28) from the Visnu Purana
- Brahmanda Purana, Visnu Purana, Srimad-Bhagavata Purana, they are sattvika-puranas. The whole scheme is that everyone, every living entity within this material world, they are infected
- Brahmano hi pratisthaham (BG 14.27) the concept of the Personality of Godhead does not depend on Brahman. The Visnu Purana also confirms that one who has taken shelter of the all-auspicious Supreme Lord is already situated in the understanding of Brahman
I
- In all Vedic literatures, including Bhagavad-gita and Visnu Purana, much evidence is given to distinguish between the energy and the energetic
- In other Dvapara-yugas, previous to Lord Krsna’s appearance, the Supreme Lord appeared in a greenish body by His own personal expansion. This is mentioned in the Visnu Purana, Hari-vamsa and Mahabharata
- In Srimad-Bhagavatam, the Visnu Purana and the Mahabharata there are references to Krsna and Balarama being incarnations of a black hair and a white hair respectively
- In the Brhad-visnu Purana it is stated that one who considers maha-prasadam to be equal to ordinary rice and dhal certainly commits a great offense
- In the Visnu Purana (1.12.57) the word brahman is given to indicate the greatest of all; the Supreme Lord is the greatest, and there is no limit to His expanding as the greatest
- In the Visnu Purana (1.12.69) the Lord is addressed as follows: O Lord, You are the support of everything. The three attributes hladini, sandhini and samvit exist in You as one spiritual energy
- In the Visnu Purana it is said that all the qualities attributed to the Supreme Lord, such as knowledge, opulence, beauty, strength and influence, are known to be nondifferent from Him. This is also confirmed in the Padma Purana
- In the Visnu Purana it is said that as fire expands its rays and heat from one place, similarly the Supreme Spirit, the Personality of Godhead, expands Himself by His manifold energy everywhere and anywhere
- In the Visnu Purana it is said that whatever we can see or experience, either in the material or spiritual world, is an expansion of the different energies of the Supreme Lord
- In the Visnu Purana it is said, gunams ca dosams ca mune vyatita samasta-kalyana-gunatmako hi. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has no material form, qualities or faults. He is spiritual and is the only reservoir of all spiritual qualities
- In the Visnu Purana it is said, Whatever we actually see in the cosmic manifestation - be it matter or the activities of the living entities - is simply an expansion of the energies of the Lord, as heat and light are the different expansions of fire
- In the Visnu Purana it is said: Fire is situated in one place, but it distributes heat and light. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is distributing His energies in different ways
- In the Visnu Purana it is said: worshiping the most powerful demigod Surya, the Gandharvas sing in front of him, the Apsaras dance before the chariot, the Nisacaras follow the chariot, the Pannagas decorate the chariot
- In the Visnu Purana it is stated that as the presence of fire is understood by heat and light, so the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although one without a second, is perceived everywhere by the diffusion of His different energies
- In the Visnu Purana it is stated that in order to pacify Devaki, all the demigods, along with their wives, used to visit her to encourage her not to be afraid that her son would be killed by Kamsa
- In the Visnu Purana it is stated that unless people are educated or situated in the scientific social order comprised of four varnas (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra) and four asramas (brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa
- In the Visnu Purana it is stated that Visnu and His abodes all have self-illuminated spiritual existence. The words existent and nonexistent refer only to spirit and matter. That is the version of all seers of truth. BG 1972 purports
- In the Visnu Purana Lord Visnu is worshiped in the following words: Let the Supreme Personality of Godhead be merciful toward us. His existence is never infected by material qualities
- In the Visnu Purana the six opulences of the Lord are stated to be nondifferent from Him
- In the Visnu Purana the total energies of the Supreme Lord as Visnu-saktih para prokta, etc., are delineated. BG 1972 Introduction
- In the Visnu Purana, as well as in the Mahabharata, both Krsna and Baladeva are mentioned as having beautiful black hair, even in Their advanced age
- In the Visnu Purana, kala-sakti is mentioned as avidya. The symptom of the influence of the kala-sakti is that one has to work in the material world for fruitive results
- In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa it is said that the entire varṇāśrama institution is meant to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- It is said in the Visnu Purana that as a fire situated in one place emanates its heat and illumination everywhere, so whatever we see within the material or spiritual worlds is nothing but a manifestation of different energies emanating from the SPG
- It is said in the Visnu Purana that by offering sacrifice to Visnu one can gradually be liberated. The whole target of life, therefore, is to please Lord Visnu. That is yajna
- It is said in the Visnu Purana: Whoever comes before You, even if he be a demigod, is created by You, O Supreme Personality of Godhead. BG 1972 purports
- It is said that the King of the Yavanas, known as Kalayavana, was induced to attack by Narada. This story is narrated in the Visnu Purana. Once, Garga Muni, the priest of the Yadu dynasty, was taunted by his brother-in-law
- It is stated also in the Visnu Purana that whatever we see is parasya brahmanah saktih; everything is an expansion of the energy of the Supreme Absolute Truth, Brahman
- It is stated in the Visnu Purana that whatever we find, anywhere and everywhere, is the distribution of the energy of the Supreme Lord
- It is stated there (in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, the Visnu Purana, and the Mahabharata) that the Lord snatched a gray hair and a black hair from His head and that these 2 hairs entered into the wombs of 2 queens of the Yadu dynasty, namely Rohini and Devaki
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- Lord Caitanya quoted from Visnu Purana (1.3.2) to the effect that all inconceivable energies reside in the Supreme Personality of the Lord and that the whole cosmic manifestation acts due to the Lord's inconceivable energy
- Lord Caitanya rejected the statement cited by Ramananda Raya from Visnu Purana because the Lord wished to reject a class of philosophers known as karma-mimamsa
S
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu cites evidence from the Gita, Visnu Purana, etc., which are smrti-prasthana
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu quotes four verses from the Visnu Purana (6.7.61-63 and 1.12.69) to explain the different potencies of the Lord
- Sri Ramananda Raya quoted a verse from Visnu Purana (3.8.9) which states that the Supreme Lord is worshiped by one's occupational duty and that there is no alternative for satisfying Him
- Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has justified the contradiction by research in the Visnu Purana and Brahma Purana
T
- That is explained in the Visnu Purana, where it is clearly stated that the individual parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord are subject to being covered by the external energy, called illusion, or maya
- The great Parasara Rsi has confirmed this in the Visnu Purana. He says that the cosmic manifestation visible to us is produced from Lord Visnu and sustained under His protection. He is the principal maintainer and destroyer of the universal form
- The jivas, the living entities, are mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita as the Lord's superior nature, or para prakrti, and so also it is mentioned in the Visnu Purana. Therefore the living entities are never the purusas, or the factual enjoyers
- The living entity is mentioned in Bhagavad-gita (BG 7.5) as para prakrti, and in the Visnu Purana he is mentioned as the para sakti. He is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord as potency and not as the potent
- The Lord is so kind that He accepts a little insignificant service, and therefore it is stated in the Visnu Purana that by following the principles of varnasrama-dharma one can satisfy the Supreme Lord
- The Puranas (such as the Brahma-vaivarta Purana, Naradiya Purana, Visnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana) are especially meant for Vaisnavas and are also Vedic literature
- The puranas say: "Just as the illumination of a fire, which is situated in one place, is spread all over, the energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Parabrahman, are spread all over this universe." - Visnu Purana 1.22.53
- The same idea expressed in this verse -CC Madhya 20.345) from Srimad-Bhagavatam can be found in the following verse from the Visnu Purana - 6.2.17, Padma Purana - Uttara-khanda 72.25 and Brhan-naradiya Purana - 38.97
- The self-realization can be achieved in the age of Kali simply by chanting the holy names, Hare Krsna. This is also confirmed in Visnu Purana
- The symptoms of the purusa are described in the Laghu-bhagavatamrta. While describing the incarnations of the SPG, the author has quoted from the Visnu Purana (6.8.59), where it is said, Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Purusottama, Lord Krsna
- The varnasrama institution aims at satisfying Lord Visnu. Varnasramacara-vata purusena parah puman/visnur aradhyate... (Visnu Purana 3.8.8). BG 1972 purports
- The Visnu Purana (3.8.9) says: All the Vedic ritualistic sacrifices are performed for the purpose of satisfying Lord Visnu, the yajna-purusa - CC Madhya 8.58 quoted in SB 8.23.15
- The Visnu Purana states, visnur brahma-svarupena svayam eva vyavasthitah: Brahman's real feature is Visnu, or the Supreme Brahman is Visnu. Svayam eva: that is His personal feature
- The Visnu Purana states: parasya brahmanah saktih: parasya means supreme, brahmanah means Absolute Truth, and saktih means energy. The energy of the Supreme Absolute is everything, but in that energy Krsna is not to be found
- The worshipers of various demigods also worship the Supreme Lord, but they do so against the regulative principles. The purpose of the regulative principles is to satisfy Lord Visnu. In the Visnu Purana (3.8.9) the very same thing is confirmed
- There are references to Svetadvipa in the Brahmanda Purana, Visnu Purana, Mahabharata and Padma Purana
- There are sattvika, rajasika, tamasika puranas. So sattvika Purana is required for spiritual improvement. So He's giving evidence from the sattvika Purana, Visnu Purana
- There are two sankhyas - theistic and atheistic. The Sanskrit in the Visnu Purana is even easier than in Raghu-vamsa. Yes, Bhagavad-gita As It Is should be studied from the beginning. There must be study from my books also
- There is a nice statement in the Visnu Purana, where it is said, "let me always remember the Lord, who is unborn and eternal"
- There is a similar verse (as CC Adi 9.42) in the Visnu Purana, Part Three, Chapter Twelve, verse 45, which is next quoted in the Caitanya-caritamrta
- This (CC Adi-lila 4.116) is a verse from the Visnu Purana - 5.13.60
- This (CC Antya 3.85) is a quotation from the Visnu Purana - 4.15.17
- This (CC Madhya 20.110) is a quotation from the Visnu Purana - 1.22.53
- This (CC Madhya 20.112) is a quotation from the Visnu Purana (6.7.61). For a further explanation of this verse, refer to Adi-lila, Chapter Seven, verse 119
- This (CC Madhya 20.113) is also a quotation from the Visnu Purana - 1.3.2
- This (CC Madhya 20.114) and the following verse are also quoted from the Visnu Purana (6.7.62-63). For an explanation, see Madhya-lila, Chapter 6, verses 155-156
- This (CC Madhya 8.153) is a quotation from the Visnu Purana - 6.7.61
- This (CC Madhya 8.156) is a quotation from the Visnu Purana - 1.12.69
- This (CC Madhya 8.58) is a quotation from the Visnu Purana - 3.8.9
- This is a quotation from the Visnu Purana - 1.19.65
- This verse (SB 4.20.9) is also confirmed by the Visnu Purana
W
- We take birth by the force of the material potency, but as stated here with reference to the Visnu Purana, the ksetra-jna, or living entity, belongs to the spiritual potency
- Whatever we see in this world is but an expansion of various energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is like a fire that spreads illumination for a long distance although it is situated in one place - Visnu Purana
- When they (materialistic persons) are presented with genuine books of knowledge like Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, Visnu Purana or other scriptures of the world, such as the Bible and Koran, they are not interested
- When we offer our obeisances to the Personality of Godhead, we say - namo brahmanya-devaya, go-brahmana-hitaya ca, jagad-dhitaya krsnaya, govindaya namo namah - Visnu Purana 1.19.65