Shloka 30
योषितो नावमन्येत न चासां विश्वसेद् बुधः न चैवेर्ष्युर् भवेत् तासु नाधिकुर्यात् कदाचन
yoṣito nāvamanyeta na cāsāṃ viśvased budhaḥ na caiverṣyur bhavet tāsu nādhikuryāt kadācana
A wise man should never despise women; yet he should not place blind trust in them. Nor should he become jealous toward them, and he should never behave with overbearing authority.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Householder ethics: balanced conduct toward women—avoiding contempt, credulity, jealousy, and domination
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: pragmatic and cautionary
Concept: Dharma in social relations requires honoring women without contempt, while also practicing prudent discernment, freedom from jealousy, and non-domineering behavior.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Cultivate respectful speech and conduct, avoid controlling or suspicious patterns, and practice discernment and emotional regulation in relationships.
Vishishtadvaita: Seeing persons as belonging to the Lord (śeṣa-śeṣi-bhāva) supports non-contempt and non-domination, grounding social ethics in reverence for Bhagavān’s world.
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Lakshmi Presence: Sri
FAQs
This verse frames dharma as restraint and balance—neither contempt nor naïve dependence, neither jealousy nor domination—so social harmony reflects the broader order upheld by Vishnu.
Parāśara presents self-control as avoiding extremes: respect without imprudence, emotional steadiness without jealousy, and authority without tyranny—practical nīti that stabilizes household and society.
Even when Vishnu is not named, dharma is treated as part of Vishnu’s sustaining sovereignty: personal ethics become a local expression of the cosmic order Vishnu preserves.