Shloka 48
नरक-निर्णयः, पाप-कर्म-फल-व्यवस्था, प्रायश्चित्त-क्रमः, तथा हरि-स्मरण-परमत्वम्
तद् एव प्रीतये भूत्वा पुनर् दुःखाय जायते तद् एव कोपाय यतः प्रसादाय च जायते
tad eva prītaye bhūtvā punar duḥkhāya jāyate tad eva kopāya yataḥ prasādāya ca jāyate
That very same thing which once becomes a cause of delight later arises again as a cause of sorrow; for from the same source are born both anger and also appeasement.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Concept: The same cause can generate delight or sorrow, anger or appeasement, showing that affect is contingent and not intrinsic to the external cause.
Vedantic Theme: Atman
Application: When emotions reverse over time, use the reversal as evidence to loosen attachment and cultivate equanimity.
Vishishtadvaita: Encourages śānta-bhāva as a preparatory discipline (sādhana) for bhakti, recognizing that the Lord’s world is real while emotional coloring is mind-dependent.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse highlights the instability of worldly objects: the same attachment that produces delight later produces grief, urging detachment and a turn toward liberation-centered devotion.
Parāśara points to the mind’s shifting evaluations—what pleases in one moment can provoke anger in another—showing that reactions arise from conditioned perception rather than lasting truth.
By exposing the unreliability of worldly causes of happiness, the teaching implicitly directs the seeker toward Vishnu as the stable Supreme Reality and refuge beyond dualities.