Shloka 11
एकदा तु स धर्मात्मा जगाम गुरुणा सह पानासक्तस्य पुरतः पितुर् दैत्यपतेस् तदा
ekadā tu sa dharmātmā jagāma guruṇā saha pānāsaktasya purataḥ pitur daityapates tadā
Once, that righteous-hearted one went with his teacher and, at that time, stood before his father—the lord of the Daityas—who was absorbed in drinking.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Concept: Association with dharma (the teacher and discipline) brings the righteous into confrontation with intoxication and adharma, testing inner steadiness.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Maintain sobriety of mind and values amid environments driven by indulgence; keep supportive guidance close.
Vishishtadvaita: The jīva’s virtues are real and can manifest even amid hostile contexts, as dependence on the Lord matures into bhakti.
Phase: Teaching (Prahlada's schools)
Bhakti Quality: Dharma-niṣṭhā and composure in the presence of adharma; unshaken inner purity.
Bhakti Type: shanta
FAQs
It frames a moral contrast: a virtuous figure acts with discipline and guidance (with his guru), while the Daitya ruler is shown distracted by indulgence—setting up an ethical lesson within dynastic history.
By explicitly stating the approach happens “with the guru,” Parāśara signals that right conduct and counsel are central to governance and lineage episodes, even among Asura courts.
Though Vishnu is not named in this verse, the Purana’s historiography is guided by the principle that dharma—ultimately upheld by Vishnu as Supreme Sovereign—prevails over adharma, which is symbolized here by a ruler’s intoxicated negligence.