Shloka 13
मैत्रेयप्रश्नः—पुराणसंहिताप्रतिज्ञा च
Maitreya’s Questions and Parāśara’s Resolve to Teach
विश्वामित्रप्रयुक्तेन रक्षसा भक्षितो मया श्रुतस् तातस् ततः क्रोधो मैत्रेयासीन् ममातुलः
viśvāmitraprayuktena rakṣasā bhakṣito mayā śrutas tātas tataḥ krodho maitreyāsīn mamātulaḥ
I heard, dear one, that my father had been devoured by a rākṣasa set upon him through Viśvāmitra’s agency; and from that report, Maitreya, immeasurable wrath arose within me.
Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Recollection of the event that provoked his wrath: his father’s death by a rākṣasa connected with Viśvāmitra
Teaching: Historical
Quality: revealing, confessional, cautionary
FAQs
It functions as the narrative catalyst: Parāśara’s personal grief and rising wrath set the stage for later restraint and for his turning toward higher, Vishnu-centered wisdom rather than destructive retaliation.
He tells Maitreya that he heard his father was devoured by a rākṣasa connected to Viśvāmitra’s instigation, and that this news immediately produced overwhelming anger within him.
Even before explicit doctrine, the text frames human passions like krodha as conditions to be mastered—preparing the reader for Vishnu’s role as the supreme, ordering reality who restores harmony beyond cycles of vengeance.