Shloka 40
दंष्ट्रा विशीर्णा मणयः स्फुटन्ति फणेषु तापो हृदयेषु कम्पः नास्य त्वचः स्वल्पम् अपीह भिन्नं प्रशाधि दैत्येश्वर कर्म चान्यत्
daṃṣṭrā viśīrṇā maṇayaḥ sphuṭanti phaṇeṣu tāpo hṛdayeṣu kampaḥ nāsya tvacaḥ svalpam apīha bhinnaṃ praśādhi daityeśvara karma cānyat
“Its fangs are shattered; the jewels upon its hoods are cracking; heat sears through its coils and a trembling runs through its very heart. Yet not even a little of its skin is split. O lord of the Daityas, restrain yourself—turn to some other deed.”
Narrative voice within Parasara’s account (a warning addressed to the Daitya-lord during a violent encounter, likely involving a serpent/serpent-king figure).
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How even the instruments of death recoil when directed against the Lord’s devotee.
Teaching: Devotional
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Hostile power collapses against the devotee protected by divine remembrance; therefore the persecutor should desist and abandon futile violence.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: When confronted by hostility, strengthen inner practice rather than escalating conflict; choose restraint over compulsion.
Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s śeṣitva (supreme lordship) makes all forces contingent; the devotee’s safety is a real effect of grace, not mere metaphor.
Phase: Divine-protection
Bhakti Quality: Aparājeya-bhakti: devotion that cannot be ‘broken’ by external force.
Persecution: Serpents
Narasimha: Implicitly foreshadows the futility of all assaults, preparing for Narasiṃha’s manifestation as the ultimate resolution.
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
It dramatizes the futility of violent effort against a protected or inviolable being—pain and damage appear on the attacker’s side, while the target remains essentially unharmed, underscoring dharma’s superiority over brute force.
Within Parasara’s instruction to Maitreya, admonitions like this function as moral pivots—turning a scene of conflict into a teaching on kingship, self-control, and alignment with cosmic order rather than ego-driven conquest.
The verse reflects a core Purāṇic theme: sovereignty ultimately belongs to the Supreme Reality (Vishnu), whose order cannot be overridden; apparent invulnerability and the call to desist imply a higher protection and governance beyond demonic power.