Shloka 16
सदाचार-नियमाः: शील, संयम, संग-निषेध, शुचिता, वाणी-नीति, परोपकारः
नानार्यान् आश्रयेत् कांश्चिन् न जिह्मं रोचयेद् बुधः उपसर्पेत न व्यालांश् चिरं तिष्ठेन् न चोत्थितः
nānāryān āśrayet kāṃścin na jihmaṃ rocayed budhaḥ upasarpeta na vyālāṃś ciraṃ tiṣṭhen na cotthitaḥ
A wise person should not seek shelter with the ignoble, nor take delight in crookedness. He should not go near those who are like serpents, and he should not linger long—nor rise up in haste; for steadiness, discernment, and clean conduct are the marks of one who walks the path of dharma.
Sage Parāśara
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Standards of right conduct (sadācāra) for sustaining dharma
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Avoid ignoble company, crooked conduct, and venomous associations; dharma is protected by steady, discerning restraint.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Choose mentors and peers carefully, avoid manipulative environments, and cultivate unhurried steadiness in decisions and habits.
Vishishtadvaita: Ethical discipline is treated as a real support (aṅga) for bhakti toward the Supreme Lord, not as mere social convention.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse treats companionship as spiritually formative: relying on the unrighteous breeds crooked behavior, while distance from them protects dharma and inner steadiness.
He frames dharma as visible habits—do not depend on the base-minded, do not enjoy deceit, avoid treacherous people, and maintain balanced steadiness rather than impulsive movement.
Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the ethical restraint taught here functions as alignment with dharma—understood in the Purana as the order ultimately upheld by Vishnu as the sovereign ground of the cosmos.