Shloka 16
दीनाम् एकां परित्यक्तुम् अनाथां न त्वम् अर्हसि सपत्नीवचनाद् वत्स अगतेस् त्वं गतिर् मम
dīnām ekāṃ parityaktum anāthāṃ na tvam arhasi sapatnīvacanād vatsa agates tvaṃ gatir mama
My child, you must not abandon me—alone, helpless, and without refuge—merely because of a co-wife’s words. For one who has no other way, you alone are my way; you are my only shelter.
A distressed mother/queen addressing her son (a royal figure) amid co-wife hostility (narrative voice reported by Sage Parāśara to Maitreya).
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The mother’s final appeal—her helplessness and dependence on the child as sole refuge
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: compassionate
Concept: Worldly dependence seeks shelter in finite relations, but dharma requires discerning the highest refuge while responding to suffering with compassion.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Support family responsibly, yet do not let guilt or rivalry-driven pressure derail spiritual commitments; seek ways to serve without abandoning practice.
Vishishtadvaita: The language of ‘gati/śaraṇa’ (refuge) foreshadows the Vaishnava doctrine of śaraṇāgati, ultimately to be placed in Vishnu rather than in any finite person.
FAQs
The verse frames the son as the sole “gati”—the only practical refuge—for someone rendered helpless, highlighting dharma as protection of the vulnerable within family and society.
By reporting an intimate plea shaped by injustice and dependency, the text teaches that righteous conduct is tested first in the household—where power must become protection, not abandonment.
Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s dynastic episodes ultimately point to a Vishnu-centered moral cosmos where dharma sustains order—earthly refuge and kingship echo the higher principle of divine guardianship.