Shloka 16
मैत्रेयप्रश्नः—पुराणसंहिताप्रतिज्ञा च
Maitreya’s Questions and Parāśara’s Resolve to Teach
अलम् अत्यन्तकोपेन तात मन्युम् इमं जहि राक्षसा नापराध्यन्ते पितुस् ते विहितं तथा
alam atyantakopena tāta manyum imaṃ jahi rākṣasā nāparādhyante pitus te vihitaṃ tathā
Enough, dear child, of this overpowering wrath—cast away this anger. The Rākṣasas have committed no offense; they act only as your father ordained.
A pacifying elder/authority figure addressing a son (within the Purāṇic narrative; commonly framed in the Parāśara–Maitreya narration)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Maitreya’s inquiry into the origin and ordering of the world, prompting Parāśara to begin with ethical restraint and karmic causality within the narrative frame.
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Anger should be relinquished when the apparent offenders are not truly culpable but act under another’s ordinance.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Pause before retaliation, examine agency and context, and choose restraint over reactive blame.
Vishishtadvaita: Moral action is guided by discerning the real locus of responsibility while maintaining compassion toward beings under higher governance.
FAQs
This verse treats anger as spiritually and ethically destabilizing, urging self-control because events may unfold under higher ordinance rather than personal wrongdoing.
It suggests that some actions occur as part of an appointed cosmic or paternal command; therefore blame should be weighed against intention and rightful duty, not mere outcome.
The verse implies a governing order behind events—aligning with the Purāṇic view that the universe operates under higher regulation, ultimately grounded in the Supreme Reality that sustains dharma.