Shloka 55
प्रह्लादचरितम् (हिरण्यकशिपोः स्वर्गापहरणं, प्रह्लादस्य विष्णुभक्तिः, उपदेशः)
श्रूयतां परमार्थो मे दैतेया दितिजात्मजाः न चान्यथैतन् मन्तव्यं नात्र लोभादिकारणम्
śrūyatāṃ paramārtho me daiteyā ditijātmajāḥ na cānyathaitan mantavyaṃ nātra lobhādikāraṇam
Hear my highest intent, O Daityas, sons of Diti. Do not construe this otherwise; here there is no motive such as greed or the like.
Uncertain from single-verse excerpt (likely a leader/teacher addressing the Daityas within the narrative relayed by Sage Parasara to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: What Prahlāda taught the young Daityas as the ‘highest intent/paramārtha’
Teaching: Devotional
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Prahlāda frames devotion as paramārtha and insists it is taught without any worldly motive like greed.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Examine motives in religious activity; cultivate sincere devotion and share teachings without desire for gain or status.
Vishishtadvaita: Bhakti is presented as the highest end (not a means for artha/kāma), aligning with Viśiṣṭādvaita’s primacy of prapatti/bhakti to the personal Brahman.
Phase: Teaching (Prahlada's schools)
Bhakti Quality: Sincerity (ārjava) and purity of motive in teaching bhakti as paramārtha
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
The speaker asserts that the teaching is offered without selfish motive, framing it as ethically valid counsel aligned with dharma rather than manipulation for gain.
By explicitly denying ulterior motives, the verse marks the speech as ‘paramārtha’—meant for truth and welfare—showing that inner intention is central to the authority of guidance.
Even when not naming Vishnu directly, the Purana’s moral logic supports the Vaishnava ideal of action and instruction oriented to higher truth, not egoic desire—an ethical ground for devotion and cosmic order.