Great sage Parasara

Expressions researched:
"great Parasara" |"great authority Parasara" |"great sage Parasara" |"great sages like Parasara" |"great, Parasara"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

The Sanskrit word bhagavān is explained by the great authority Parāśara Muni, the father of Vyāsadeva.

BG 2.2, Purport:

The Sanskrit word bhagavān is explained by the great authority Parāśara Muni, the father of Vyāsadeva. The Supreme Personality who possesses all riches, all strength, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation is called Bhagavān. There are many persons who are very rich, very powerful, very beautiful, very famous, very learned, and very much detached, but no one can claim that he possesses all riches, all strength, etc., entirely. Only Kṛṣṇa can claim this because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No living entity, including Brahmā, Lord Śiva, or Nārāyaṇa, can possess opulences as fully as Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is concluded in the Brahma-saṁhitā by Lord Brahmā himself that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one is equal to or above Him. He is the primeval Lord, or Bhagavān, known as Govinda, and He is the supreme cause of all causes.

BG Chapters 7 - 12

Great sages like Parāśara Muni have all accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

BG 10.1, Purport:

The word bhagavān is explained thus by Parāśara Muni: one who is full in six opulences, who has full strength, full fame, wealth, knowledge, beauty and renunciation, is Bhagavān, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. While Kṛṣṇa was present on this earth, He displayed all six opulences. Therefore great sages like Parāśara Muni have all accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB Canto 1

The mother of the great sage was Satyavatī the daughter of the Vasu (fisherman), and the father was the great Parāśara Muni. That is the history of Vyāsadeva's birth.

SB 1.4.14, Purport:

There is a chronological order of the four millenniums, namely Satya, Dvāpara, Tretā and Kali. But sometimes there is overlapping. During the regime of Vaivasvata Manu, there was an overlapping of the twenty-eighth round of the four millenniums, and the third millennium appeared prior to the second. In that particular millennium, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa also descends, and because of this there was some particular alteration. The mother of the great sage was Satyavatī the daughter of the Vasu (fisherman), and the father was the great Parāśara Muni. That is the history of Vyāsadeva's birth. Every millennium is divided into three periods, and each period is called a sandhyā. Vyāsadeva appeared in the third sandhyā of that particular age.

SB Canto 3

The great sage Parāśara, as aforementioned, being so advised by the great sage Pulastya, spoke unto me the foremost of the Purāṇas (Bhāgavatam).

SB 3.8.9, Translation:

The great sage Parāśara, as aforementioned, being so advised by the great sage Pulastya, spoke unto me the foremost of the Purāṇas (Bhāgavatam). I shall also describe this before you, my dear son, in terms of my hearing, because you are always my faithful follower.

SB Canto 4

The kings used to accept the instructions given by great sages like Parāśara, Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Devala and Asita.

SB 4.14.14, Purport:

According to Vedic civilization, in a monarchy the king is advised by saintly persons and sages. By taking their advice, he can become the greatest executive power, and everyone in his kingdom will be happy, peaceful and prosperous. The great kings were very responsible in taking the instructions given by great saintly personalities. The kings used to accept the instructions given by great sages like Parāśara, Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Devala and Asita. In other words, they would first accept the authority of saintly persons and then execute their monarchical power.

SB Canto 5

SB 5.19.19, Purport:

The great sage Parāśara Muni has recommended:

varṇāśramācāravatā

puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān

viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā

nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam

(CC Madhya 8.58)

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, is worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varṇa and āśrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Lord." In the land of Bhārata-varṣa, the institution of varṇāśrama-dharma may be easily adopted. At the present moment, certain demoniac sections of the population of Bhāratavarṣa are disregarding the system of varṇāśrama-dharma. Because there is no institution to teach people how to become brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras or brahmacārīs, gṛhasthas, vānaprasthas and sannyāsīs, these demons want a classless society. This is resulting in chaotic conditions.

SB Canto 6

The great authority Parāśara, the father of Vyāsadeva, explains the Supreme Personality of Godhead thus: "The demoniac speculators cannot understand the transcendental qualities, form, pastimes, strength, knowledge and opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

SB 6.4.31, Purport:

The great authority Parāśara, the father of Vyāsadeva, explains the Supreme Personality of Godhead thus:

jñāna-śakti-balaiśvarya-

vīrya-tejāṁsy aśeṣataḥ

bhagavac-chabda-vācyāni

vinā heyair guṇādibhiḥ

The demoniac speculators cannot understand the transcendental qualities, form, pastimes, strength, knowledge and opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which are all free from material contamination (vinā heyair guṇādibhiḥ). These speculators are envious of the existence of the Lord. Jagad āhur anīśvaram: their conclusion is that the entire cosmic manifestation has no controller, but is just working naturally. Thus they are kept in constant darkness, birth after birth, and cannot understand the real cause of all causes. This is the reason why there are so many schools of philosophical speculation.

CC Adi-lila

The great Parāśara Ṛṣi has confirmed in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, that the cosmic manifestation visible to us is produced from Lord Viṣṇu and sustained under His protection.

CC Adi 6.14-15, Purport:

“The form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described to be transcendental, very subtle, eternal, all-pervading, inconceivable and therefore nonmanifested to the material senses of a conditioned living creature. He desired to expand Himself into many living entities, and with such a desire He first created a vast expanse of water within the universal space and then impregnated that water with living entities. By that process of impregnation a massive body appeared, blazing like a thousand suns, and in that body was the first creative principle, Brahmā. The great Parāśara Ṛṣi has confirmed this in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa. He says that the cosmic manifestation visible to us is produced from Lord Viṣṇu and sustained under His protection. He is the principal maintainer and destroyer of the universal form.

CC Antya-lila

Vyāsadeva was the son of the great sage Parāśara.

CC Antya 9.10, Purport:

Vyāsadeva was the son of the great sage Parāśara. Other names for him are Sātyavateya and Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Bādarāyaṇa Muni. As one of the authorities on the Vedas, he divided the original Veda, for convenience, into four divisions—Sāma, Yajur, Ṛg and Atharva. He is the author of eighteen Purāṇas as well as the theosophical thesis Brahma-sūtra and its natural commentary, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He belongs to the Brahma-sampradāya and is a direct disciple of Nārada Muni.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Because the father was very great, Parāśara Muni, so there is no question of father and mother. Everyone comes in his own ability according to karma.

Lecture on SB 1.5.1-4 -- New Vrindaban, May 22, 1969:

When Vyāsadeva was morose, his spiritual master is addressing Vyāsadeva as pārāśarya mahā-bhāga. Mahā-bhāga. Pārāśarya means Vyāsadeva is the son of Parāśara Muni, who was a great sage. His mother was Satyavatī. Actually Vyāsadeva was born... His mother was a fishergirl, fisherwoman. In Bengali we call māchaoyālī. So, but because the father was very great, Parāśara Muni, so there is no question of father and mother. Everyone comes in his own ability according to karma. Nobody is responsible for his birth. Everyone is responsible for his work. So Vyāsadeva became a great personality although he was son of a fisherwoman. Pārāśarya. He's addressing, "My dear son of Parāśara, mahā-bhāga." Mahā-bhāga means "You are very fortunate." Bhāga means fortune. Bhāgya. Mahā-bhāga. Pārāśarya mahā-bhāga bhavataḥ kaccid ātmanā parituṣyati. "Do you think that you'll be satisfied identifying yourself with this material body or mind? That is not possible." Parituṣyati śārīra ātmā mānasa eva vā. Śārīraḥ śarīrābhimāny ātmā, ātmanā tena śarīreṇa kaccit kiṁ parituṣyati(?). One who is... "You have compiled so many books on this concept of life, that the living entities are, some of them are considering that 'I am this body,' and some of them are considering 'I am this mind,' and some of them are considering 'I am this intelligence,' but he is none of them. He's above this. He's transcendental." Unless he comes to that position, there is no question of paritoṣa, or satisfaction.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

The Sanskrit word bhagavān is explained by the great authority Parāśara Muni, the father of Vyāsadeva. The Supreme Personality who possesses all riches, all strength, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation is called Bhagavān.

Press Conference -- October 2, 1975, Mauritius:

The bhaktas, or the transcendentalists who have realized the Bhagavān feature of the Absolute Truth, are the topmost transcendentalists, although all students who are engaged in the study of the Absolute Truth are engaged in the same subject matter. The sunshine, the sun disc and the inner affairs of the sun planet cannot be separated from one another, and yet the students of the three different phases are not in the same category. The Sanskrit word bhagavān is explained by the great authority Parāśara Muni, the father of Vyāsadeva. The Supreme Personality who possesses all riches, all strength, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation is called Bhagavān. There are many persons who are very rich, very powerful, very beautiful, very famous, very learned, and very much detached, but no one can claim that he possesses all riches, all strength, etc., entirely. Only Kṛṣṇa can claim this because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No living entity, including Brahmā, Lord Śiva or Nārāyaṇa, can possess opulences as fully as Kṛṣṇa.