Shloka 36
वेन-पृथु-प्रादुर्भावः, राजधर्मः, पृथिवीदोहनम्
Vena–Pṛthu Episode and the Milking of Earth
ततस् तत्संभवा जाता विन्ध्यशैलनिवासिनः निषादा मुनिशार्दूल पापकर्मोपलक्षणाः
tatas tatsaṃbhavā jātā vindhyaśailanivāsinaḥ niṣādā muniśārdūla pāpakarmopalakṣaṇāḥ
From that origin were born their descendants—the Niṣādas—dwelling along the Vindhya mountains; and, O tiger among sages, they were marked by sinful conduct as their defining trait.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Consequences of Vena’s impurity and the emergence of groups through the sages’ action.
Teaching: Historical
Quality: didactic
Concept: Adharmic dispositions are portrayed as perpetuating consequences, shaping communities and habitats over generations.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Treat harmful habits as transmissible patterns—reform conduct early so it does not become a legacy.
Vishishtadvaita: Karma operates within the Lord’s moral order: embodied beings inherit conditions while remaining capable of reorientation through dharma and devotion.
Key Kings: Vena
FAQs
This verse frames the Niṣādas as a genealogically derived community associated with the Vindhya region, characterized in this narrative by adharma (sinful conduct), illustrating how Purāṇic genealogies link lineage, geography, and moral description.
Parāśara presents origins through descent (saṃbhava) and subsequent settlement (here, the Vindhyas), while also assigning ethical descriptors—showing a Purāṇic pattern of mapping cosmic and social order through lineage narratives.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the account operates within Vishnu’s sovereign cosmic order: creation unfolds through regulated genealogies and dharma/adharma distinctions under the overarching framework of divine governance described in the Purāṇa.