Shloka 49
वेन-पृथु-प्रादुर्भावः, राजधर्मः, पृथिवीदोहनम्
Vena–Pṛthu Episode and the Milking of Earth
आपस् तस्तम्भिरे चास्य समुद्रम् अभियास्यतः पर्वताश् च ददुर् मार्गं ध्वजभङ्गश् च नाभवत्
āpas tastambhire cāsya samudram abhiyāsyataḥ parvatāś ca dadur mārgaṃ dhvajabhaṅgaś ca nābhavat
As he advanced toward the ocean, the waters themselves stood still for him; the mountains, too, opened a passage—and his royal banner did not break.
Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya
Speaker: Parasara
Teaching: Historical
Quality: revealing
Purpose: Nature itself yields before Pṛthu as Viṣṇu-empowered ruler, signaling divine support for his world-protecting mission.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Orderly sovereignty where even elements cooperate with dharma
Concept: When the Lord supports dharma through His empowered agent, even the elements act in harmony, removing impediments.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Align intentions with dharma; inner coherence often reduces ‘resistance’ from circumstances and fosters steadiness.
Vishishtadvaita: Immanence: Nārāyaṇa as antaryāmin governs waters and mountains, coordinating prakṛti in service of dharma.
Dharma Exemplar: Irresistible dharmic authority
Key Kings: Pṛthu
Vishnu Form: Narayana
Antaryamin: Yes
FAQs
It signals divine sanction: nature aligns with dharma, indicating the king’s legitimacy and the higher cosmic order operating in his favor.
Through brief, vivid signs—like an unbroken banner and compliant elements—Parāśara marks a ruler’s divinely supported momentum within the lineage history.
Even when Vishnu is not named, the verse implies his supreme governance: the elements respond as instruments of the universal order sustained by the Highest Reality.