Shloka 55
भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः
पुनस् तथैव शिबिकां विलोक्य विषमां हसन् नृपः किम् एतद् इत्य् आह भवद्भिर् गम्यते ऽन्यथा
punas tathaiva śibikāṃ vilokya viṣamāṃ hasan nṛpaḥ kim etad ity āha bhavadbhir gamyate 'nyathā
Then again, seeing the palanquin still moving unevenly, the king laughed and said, “What is this? You are carrying it in a different manner than before.”
Narrator (Sage Parāśara) reporting the king’s speech within the royal episode
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The conduct of Bharata (as Jaḍa Bharata) while bearing King Rahūgaṇa’s palanquin, and the ensuing teaching on self and body.
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: revealing
FAQs
It signals a disruption in the king’s expected order and becomes the narrative trigger for a lesson in discernment—how surface irregularities often point to deeper causes and ethical questions.
By narrating the king’s reaction first, the text highlights how rulers interpret events and exercise power—setting up the contrast between impulsive judgment and dharmic understanding.
Even in a seemingly mundane royal scene, the Vishnu Purana’s worldview implies that sovereignty and order ultimately rest on Vishnu as the ground of dharma—human authority is secondary and must align with that higher order.