Shloka 21
परित्यजति वत्साद्य यद्य् एतन् न भवांस् तपः त्यक्ष्याम्य् अहम् अपि प्राणांस् ततो वै पश्यतस् तव
parityajati vatsādya yady etan na bhavāṃs tapaḥ tyakṣyāmy aham api prāṇāṃs tato vai paśyatas tava
“If you do not abandon this austerity—this renunciation that begins with casting off even one’s own child—then I too shall abandon my very life-breath, and that before your eyes.”
A determined interlocutor within the dynastic narrative (a spouse/close family member addressing an ascetic-minded figure); framed overall by Sage Parāśara narrating to Maitreya
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Escalation from persuasion to coercion in Prahlāda’s trials
Teaching: Devotional
Quality: revealing
Concept: When worldly bonds are weaponized as coercion, the devotee’s commitment is tested, revealing whether love of God surpasses fear and attachment.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Hold steady to spiritual values when faced with manipulative pressure; respond without hatred, anchored in prayer and clarity.
Vishishtadvaita: Bhakti’s supremacy over deha-sambandha (bodily relations) is implied: the jīva’s highest relation is śeṣatva to the Lord, even amid familial threats.
Phase: Persecution
Bhakti Quality: Unshaken equanimity in the face of emotional blackmail and threat
FAQs
The verse portrays tapas as a severe resolve that can demand the renunciation of even the dearest attachments; it also highlights the ethical and emotional tensions such austerity can create within family life.
Through vivid interpersonal dialogue inside lineage narratives, Parāśara shows how vows and ascetic impulses are tested by relational responsibilities, making dharma a lived, consequential choice rather than an abstract rule.
Even when Vishnu is not named in a given verse, the Purana’s dynastic episodes function as dharma-instruction under Vishnu’s sovereign order—implying that right conduct and restraint ultimately align with the Supreme Reality that sustains the world.