Shloka 17
मायामोह-प्रवर्तन, वेदमार्ग-बहिष्कार, तथा पाषण्ड-संसर्ग-दोषः
Māyāmoha’s Delusion, Rejection of the Vedic Path, and the Fault of Heretical Association
स्वर्गार्थं यदि वो वाञ्छा निर्वाणार्थम् अथासुराः तद् अलं पशुघातादिदुष्टधर्मं निबोधत
svargārthaṃ yadi vo vāñchā nirvāṇārtham athāsurāḥ tad alaṃ paśughātādiduṣṭadharmaṃ nibodhata
If you desire heaven—or, O Asuras, if you seek nirvāṇa—then enough of this wicked “dharma” that begins with the slaughter of animals. Understand the true path of righteousness.
Sage Parāśara (narrating a dharmic teaching within the broader dialogue to Maitreya; the immediate address is to the Asuras within the story)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Māyāmoha’s exhortation promising svarga/nirvāṇa and condemning animal-slaughter as ‘dharma’
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: revealing
Avatara: Buddha
Purpose: He instructed the Asuras to renounce animal-sacrifice and Vedic rites, steering them into a path that would undercut their sacrificial power and protect the cosmic order.
Leela: Dharma-upadesa
Dharma Restored: Preservation of svarga-order and the Devas’ rightful share in sacrifice; curbing violent, tamasic misuse of ritual
Concept: A critique of ‘dharma’ grounded in violence (paśu-ghāta) is used to redirect seekers toward svarga or ‘nirvāṇa’, revealing how moral language can be deployed within cosmic strategy.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Hold together compassion and scriptural discernment: reject cruelty, but also evaluate whether a teaching’s ultimate framework truly leads to liberation and dharma.
Vishishtadvaita: Contrasts promised ‘nirvāṇa’ with Vaiṣṇava mokṣa under the Lord’s grace; implies liberation is not merely ethical negation but right relation (śeṣatva) to Nārāyaṇa.
Vishnu Form: Hari
FAQs
The verse frames animal slaughter as “duṣṭa-dharma” (corrupt religion) and insists that both worldly merit (svarga) and the highest goal (nirvāṇa) require ethical restraint and true righteousness.
He redirects seekers away from violent, misguided ritualism and toward authentic dharma—conduct aligned with moral order (especially non-harm), which supports spiritual clarity and liberation.
In the Vishnu Purana’s framework, dharma is ultimately grounded in the Supreme Lord Vishnu; abandoning violent “false dharma” prepares the mind for devotion and realization aligned with Vishnu’s sovereign order.