Shloka 18
परमार्थ-निर्णयः—श्रेयस्-भेदः, कर्म-ध्यान-सीमा, एकात्मदर्शनम्
पुत्रश् चेत् परमार्थाख्यः सो ऽप्य् अन्यस्य नरेश्वर परमार्थभूतः सो ऽन्यस्य परमार्थो हि तत्पिता
putraś cet paramārthākhyaḥ so 'py anyasya nareśvara paramārthabhūtaḥ so 'nyasya paramārtho hi tatpitā
O king, even if a son is proclaimed to be the ‘highest good’ (paramārtha), he is so only in relation to another; for the father of that son becomes the ‘highest good’ for someone else.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: relativity of worldly ‘highest goods’ like progeny; pointing beyond relational goods to the absolute
Teaching: Philosophical
Quality: compassionate
Concept: Even cherished ends like a ‘son as highest good’ are only relative within networks of dependence, so they cannot be the absolute paramārtha.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Love family without absolutizing it; anchor meaning in the enduring spiritual end rather than shifting relational identity.
Vishishtadvaita: Finite goods are real yet dependent and subordinate; the absolute good is the Lord, to whom all relations ultimately refer.
FAQs
Here ‘paramārtha’ is used in a relational, worldly sense: the son is a supreme good for someone (as heir, continuity, duty), not an isolated absolute.
He frames it through dependence and relation: value shifts by standpoint—if the son is a good for one, the father becomes a good for another—highlighting interconnected dharma within lineage.
Even while speaking of worldly ‘highest good’ within dynasties, the Purana’s broader stance preserves Vishnu as the true absolute; familial goods are contextual, whereas the Supreme Reality is ultimately Vishnu.