Shloka 86
भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः
यद्य् अन्यो ऽस्ति परः को ऽपि मत्तः पार्थिवसत्तम तदैषो ऽहम् अयं चान्यो वक्तुम् एवम् अपीष्यते
yady anyo 'sti paraḥ ko 'pi mattaḥ pārthivasattama tadaiṣo 'ham ayaṃ cānyo vaktum evam apīṣyate
O best of kings, if there truly exists any being higher than I, then let that one be pointed out: “Here am I, and here is another.” Only then would such words be fit to be spoken.
A royal/sovereign voice asserting unrivaled supremacy (contextually within the dynastic narrative related by Sage Parāśara to Maitreya)
Concept: Dualistic pointing—‘I here, another there’—is meaningful only if there is a truly separate higher self; otherwise such ego-demarcation collapses.
Vedantic Theme: Atman
Application: When asserting superiority or inferiority, pause and test the claim: is it grounded in enduring selfhood or only in roles and conditions?
Vishishtadvaita: The verse undermines egoic absolutism; in Viśiṣṭādvaita, individuality remains real, yet all selves are subordinate and inseparable dependents of the Supreme—so pride in ‘I’ as independent is incoherent.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
The verse uses the language of kingship to insist on unrivaled supremacy: if any higher authority exists, it must be demonstrably shown—otherwise the claim of superiority stands unchallenged.
Parāśara commonly embeds theological principles inside royal histories, using the rhetoric of rulers and lineages to illustrate how power, legitimacy, and cosmic order are ultimately grounded in the highest reality.
Even when spoken in a royal register, the Purana’s deeper frame points to Vishnu as the final source of sovereignty—worldly kingship is meaningful only insofar as it reflects the supreme Lord’s order.