Shloka 27
ऋभु–निदाघ-संवादः—अद्वैत-उपदेशः, समता, वासुदेव-स्वरूप-एकत्वम्
किम् अस्वाद्व् अथ वा मृष्टं भुञ्जतो ऽन्नं द्विजोत्तम मृष्टम् एव यदामृष्टं तद् एवोद्वेगकारणम्
kim asvādv atha vā mṛṣṭaṃ bhuñjato 'nnaṃ dvijottama mṛṣṭam eva yadāmṛṣṭaṃ tad evodvegakāraṇam
O best of the twice-born, whether the food is tasteless or delicious—when what is truly sweet is found to be unsweet, that very reversal becomes the cause of inner disturbance.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya; the verse is phrased as an address to a 'dvijottama')
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Detachment from sense-pleasures and the instability of taste/pleasure as a cause of mental agitation.
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: didactic, diagnostic of desire’s reversal into distress
Concept: Pleasure based on taste is unstable, and when the expected sweetness turns unsweet it becomes a direct cause of inner agitation.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Notice how preference-violation triggers distress and practice observing it without immediate reaction.
Vishishtadvaita: Cultivating equanimity supports surrender to the Lord as the stable refuge beyond fluctuating sense-objects.
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse links agitation to expectation and disappointment: distress intensifies when something anticipated as pleasant turns unpleasant, highlighting the need for restraint and equanimity.
He points out that suffering is not merely from unpleasant experiences, but from the collapse of expected pleasure—showing that attachment to taste and enjoyment fuels anxiety.
Even in ethical instruction, the Purana’s Vaishnava frame implies that steadiness and peace arise when the mind is aligned with dharma and ultimately anchored in Vishnu as the Supreme support beyond fluctuating sense-objects.