Shloka 26
विषप्रयोगः कृत्योत्पादनं च (प्रह्लादस्य अवध्यता, कृत्याविनाशः, पुरोहितानां रक्षणम्)
किं वात्र बहुनोक्तेन भवन्तो गुरवो मम वदन्तु साधु वासाधु विवेको ऽस्माकम् अल्पकः
kiṃ vātra bahunoktena bhavanto guravo mama vadantu sādhu vāsādhu viveko 'smākam alpakaḥ
What need is there for many words here? You are my revered teachers—please tell me plainly what is right and what is not right, for our discernment is but small.
Maitreya (addressing Sage Parāśara as his guru, in a disciple’s voice of inquiry)
Speaker: Maitreya
Topic: Request for clear guidance on what is right and wrong due to limited personal discernment
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: humble, disciple-like
Concept: Because individual judgment is limited, one should seek authoritative guidance from realized teachers to distinguish dharma from adharma.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Consult reliable teachers and texts before major ethical choices; cultivate humility and willingness to be corrected.
Vishishtadvaita: Emphasizes pramāṇa and ācārya-upadeśa—knowledge of the Lord and dharma is mediated through compassionate, authoritative instruction.
Bhakti Type: Dasya
FAQs
This verse frames the teaching as a clear distinction between right and wrong conduct (sādhu vs asādhu), emphasizing dharma as something learned from authoritative instruction rather than personal impulse.
The disciple admits limited personal discernment and requests the guru’s direct guidance, establishing that Parāśara’s forthcoming explanations function as the reliable standard for understanding dharma and cosmic order.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇa’s instruction on dharma is ultimately grounded in Vishnu as the sustaining sovereign principle—right conduct aligns the individual with that supreme order.