Shloka 22
विरोधं नोत्तमैर् गच्छेन् नाधमैश् च सदा बुधः विवाहश् च विवादश् च तुल्यशीलैर् नृपेष्यते
virodhaṃ nottamair gacchen nādhamaiś ca sadā budhaḥ vivāhaś ca vivādaś ca tulyaśīlair nṛpeṣyate
A wise person should not enter into hostility with those who are superior, nor with those who are base; marriage alliances and disputes are rightly pursued only among those of comparable character, especially in matters of kingship and governance.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya, within dharma/nīti counsel)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Rājadharma and social prudence: when to avoid hostility and how alliances/disputes should be matched by comparable standing
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: A wise person avoids enmity with both the superior and the base, and engages in alliance or dispute only with those of comparable character and station to preserve social equilibrium.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Choose conflicts carefully: avoid punching up/down; seek peer-level negotiation, and build partnerships where values and capacities align.
Vishishtadvaita: Dharma as the Lord’s ordinance is upheld through social harmony; measured conduct supports sattva, which in turn supports steady bhakti.
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse frames dharma as strategic restraint: hostility with the powerful invites ruin, while conflict with the base degrades dignity and entangles one in disorder—both disrupt social and moral equilibrium.
Parāśara advises that marriage alliances and even formal disputes should be undertaken with those of similar character and standing, implying proportionality and stability as key principles of rajadharma.
Though Vishnu is not named here, the counsel reflects Vishnu Purana’s dharmic worldview: governance and social relations should uphold cosmic order (dharma), ultimately sustained by Vishnu as the supreme ground of order and sovereignty.