Shloka 42
Pracetās, Māriṣā, Dakṣa’s Re-manifestation, and the Brahma-parastava; Cyclic Creation and Genealogies
अथ वा तव को दोषः किं वा कुप्याम्य् अहं तव ममैव दोषो नितरां येनाहम् अजितेन्द्रियः
atha vā tava ko doṣaḥ kiṃ vā kupyāmy ahaṃ tava mamaiva doṣo nitarāṃ yenāham ajitendriyaḥ
Or else—what fault is there in you? Why should I be angry with you at all? The fault is entirely mine alone, for it is I who have not mastered my senses.
Uncertain from the verse alone (requires surrounding verses of Vishnu Purana 5.15 to attribute precisely).
Concept: Anger should be redirected into self-scrutiny: the true fault lies in one’s own unmastered senses (ajitendriyatva).
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Before blaming others, examine the impulse behind your reaction and practice sense-restraint through pause, breath, and disciplined speech.
Vishishtadvaita: Moral agency and self-governance are required for dharma; the embodied self must align its senses to the higher order sustained by the Supreme.
FAQs
This verse frames anger and blame as products of uncontrolled senses, teaching that inner discipline—not external accusation—is the foundation of dharma.
In the Purana’s didactic conversations, speakers often redirect blame inward: the moral failure is not in the other person, but in one’s own lack of self-control.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Vaishnava ethic it conveys aligns with devotion-based purification: mastery of the senses supports steadiness of mind and God-centered living.