Vacho Vibhutir Na Tu Paaramarthyam

[shankara]

Namaste!

Sloka given below is from Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.14

कथ इमास्ते कथिता महीयसाम् विताय लोकेषु यशः परेयुषाम्।
विज्ञानवैराग्यविवक्षया विभो वचोविभूतिर्न तु पारमार्थ्यम्॥

Its translation as given at http://vedabase.net/sb/12/3/14/en2

 

regards
shankara

[shankara]

Namaste!

Sloka given below is from Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.14

कथा इमास्ते कथिता महीयसाम् विताय लोकेषु यशः परेयुषाम्।
विज्ञानवैराग्यविवक्षया विभो वचोविभूतिर्न तु पारमार्थ्यम्॥

Sukadeva Gosvami said: O mighty Pariksit, I have related to you the narrations of all these great kings, who spread their fame throughout the world and then departed. My real purpose was to teach transcendental knowledge and renunciation. Stories of kings lend power and opulence to these narrations but do not in themselves constitute the ultimate aspect of knowledge. (Its translation as given at http://vedabase.net/sb/12/3/14/en2).

QUERY: Some scholars interpret the above sloka to mean that all the episodes described in the Bhagavata Purana are fiction. None of the incidents are real. They were made up by Sri Sukadeva/Vyasadeva. Is this interpretation correct as per Sanskrit grammar? Does "वचोविभूतिर्न तु पारमार्थ्यम्" mean that all these stories are creations of Sri Suka or Vyasa Maharshi?

I request the learned members of this group to help me understand this sloka better.

Please bear with me for sending an incomplete mail earlier. It was sent by mistake. You may ignore it.

 

regards
shankara

[Hnbhat B.R.]

It simply in accordance with the statement 

 इतिहासपुराणाभ्यां वेदं समुपबृंहयेत् (१.१.२६७)

As it seems from the face value of the above quotation from Mahabharata, the purpose of Itihasa and Purana-s is to propound the theme of Veda-s (here it is plainly taken as to mean Vijnana and Vairagya) [than to account for the history of the kings]. I don't want to comment any more as it would draw undue arguments.

As per another reading वेदार्थमुपबृंहयेत्। बिभेत्यल्पश्रुताद् वेदो मामयं प्रहरिष्यति।

the reading of Purana-s and Itihaasa (Mahabharata) enlarges/reinstates the scope Vedic learning.

--
Dr. Hari Narayana Bhat B.R. M.A., Ph.D.,
Research Scholar,

Ecole française d'Extrême-OrientCentre de Pondichéry

16 & 19, Rue Dumas

Pondichéry - 605 001

[murthy]

At first reading the meaning that strikes me is roughly as follows:

"I have narrated to you these stories of the great who acquired fame and departed with a wish to inform you about the ultimate knowledge and an aversion to worldly pleasures. The splendour (wealth,grandeur) of words is not the ultimate." What is meant is: Story is not important , the moral of the story is.

Regards,

Murthy

 

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[shankara]

Bhat Mahodaya,

Thanks for your kind reply. Could you please tell me, at least in a private mail (if you wish avoid controversy), whether "Vacho Vibhutir Na Tu Paaramarthyam" can mean that all the stories are merely fiction?

A well known orator in Kerala recently interpreted this sloka to the effect that whole Bhagavata is only a fiction. I just wanted to get an expert opinion. Please help me.

 

regards
shankara

---

From: Hnbhat B.R. <hnbh...@gmail.com>
To: sams...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Saturday, 11 February 2012 5:55 PM
Subject: Re: [Samskrita] Vacho Vibhutir Na Tu Paaramarthyam - Sloka from Bhagavata

[Hnbhat B.R.]

Sorry for my hasty posting of the earlier message.

As it is, the dispute lies in the interpretation of पारमार्थ्य as the truth whether it is the Ultimate Truth (the purport of the Veda-s or Vedaanta) or the real account of facts of history. It is just like the Arthavada portions of the Veda-s and Upanishad-s as interpreted as arthavaada-s which are not consistent with their interpretation of the rest of the portion. 

I have nothing to add. If you take the religious aspect and philosophical aspect as the main purpose of the composition of the पुराण-s one can interpret the word in his own way to defend the Ultimate Reality (सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं ब्रह्म) or if one wants to take Purana-s as the poetical fancy of the poet/poets (ऐतिह्य) hearsay records, they are invented to expound the Ultimate Reality.