Shloka 18
मैत्रेयप्रश्नः—पुराणसंहिताप्रतिज्ञा च
Maitreya’s Questions and Parāśara’s Resolve to Teach
संचितस्यापि महता वत्स क्लेशेन मानवैः यशसस् तपसश् चैव क्रोधो नाशकरः परः
saṃcitasyāpi mahatā vatsa kleśena mānavaiḥ yaśasas tapasaś caiva krodho nāśakaraḥ paraḥ
O dear one, even the great store of merit that human beings accumulate with much hardship—both their good fame and their austerity—anger is supremely capable of destroying it all.
Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The spiritual danger of anger and its power to ruin accumulated merit, tapas, and reputation.
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: compassionate
Concept: Anger can annihilate hard-earned stores of tapas and good name, making vigilance over the mind essential.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Treat anger as a spiritual emergency: pause, breathe, and choose silence or prayer before acting or speaking.
Vishishtadvaita: Inner discipline safeguards the soul’s progress while acknowledging that spiritual merit is nurtured by divine order and can be squandered by tamasic passions.
FAQs
This verse presents anger as the most powerful destroyer of hard-earned merit—undermining both tapas (austerity) and yaśas (earned repute/virtue).
By implying that merit is accumulated with great effort, Parāśara stresses that inner discipline—especially control of anger—is essential to protect one’s spiritual gains.
Though Vishnu is not named here, the teaching supports Vaishnava dharma: self-mastery sustains purity and alignment with cosmic order upheld by the Supreme (Vishnu).