Shloka 90
भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः
वृक्षारूढो महाराजो नायं वदति ते जनः न च दारुणि सर्वस् त्वां ब्रवीति शिबिकागतम्
vṛkṣārūḍho mahārājo nāyaṃ vadati te janaḥ na ca dāruṇi sarvas tvāṃ bravīti śibikāgatam
O great king, when you are perched upon a tree your people do not speak to you; nor does anyone address you when you arrive borne in a palanquin.
Narrative voice within the dynastic account (framed by Sage Parāśara’s narration to Maitreya)
Concept: External status and posture condition social address, hinting that conventional dealings depend on upādhis (conditions) rather than intrinsic selfhood.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Notice how roles and symbols (rank, costume, platform) shape interaction; cultivate humility and discernment before reacting to social cues.
Vishishtadvaita: Begins the movement from social upādhis to deeper dependence of persons on a sustaining reality beyond mere externalities.
FAQs
This verse highlights how public speech and access to a king were governed by formal norms, reflecting dharma as social order within the genealogical narratives.
In the vaṃśa (dynasty) books, Parāśara uses brief, concrete details—like when subjects may address a king—to convey the lived structure of authority and propriety.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana frames kingship as part of a divinely ordered universe where righteous rule and social restraint uphold the cosmic order sustained by Vishnu.