Shloka 124
गृहस्थस्य सदाचारः: शौच, तर্পण, वैश्वदेव, अतिथिधर्म, भोजन-विधि, संध्योपासन, ऋतु-धर्मः
परदारान् न गच्छेत मनसापि कदाचन किम् उ वाचास्थिबन्धो ऽपि नास्ति तेषु व्यवायिनाम्
paradārān na gaccheta manasāpi kadācana kim u vācāsthibandho 'pi nāsti teṣu vyavāyinām
One should never approach another’s spouse—not even in the mind. What then of doing so in word or deed? For those who pursue such illicit union, even the basic bond of modesty and self-restraint is as though it does not exist.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Condemnation of adultery: prohibition even at the mental level, escalating to speech and action.
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: admonitory
Concept: Adultery is forbidden from its very root—mental intention—since loss of inner restraint collapses the very basis of decency and dharma.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Practice inner vigilance (thought-discipline): set boundaries, avoid cultivating fantasies, and align desire with ethical commitment.
Vishishtadvaita: Mind as a mode of the self under Bhagavān’s lordship; regulating intention honors the Lord as antaryāmin even if not named explicitly.
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
The verse treats desire itself as the seed of adharma, insisting that dharma begins with inner purity—self-restraint in thought—before speech and action.
By presenting a graded standard—mind, speech, and deed—Parāśara frames dharma as comprehensive discipline, where violating marital boundaries indicates a collapse of basic moral structure.
Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching supports Vaishnava dharma: social and inner order are upheld as part of the cosmic order ultimately grounded in the Supreme Lord’s sovereignty.