Shloka 4
मायामोह-प्रवर्तन, वेदमार्ग-बहिष्कार, तथा पाषण्ड-संसर्ग-दोषः
Māyāmoha’s Delusion, Rejection of the Vedic Path, and the Fault of Heretical Association
पारत्र्यफललाभाय तपश्चर्या महामते अस्माभिर् इयम् आरब्धा किं वा ते ऽत्र विवक्षितम्
pāratryaphalalābhāya tapaścaryā mahāmate asmābhir iyam ārabdhā kiṃ vā te 'tra vivakṣitam
O great-minded one, we have undertaken this discipline of austerity to obtain the fruits that belong to the life beyond. What, then, do you wish to ask—or have explained—here?
Uncertain (context suggests an ascetic speaker addressing a revered interlocutor; commonly framed within the Parāśara–Maitreya dialogue of the Vishnu Purana)
Concept: The stated aim of tapas is pāratrya-phala—benefit beyond this life—implying a turn away from merely temporal rewards.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Audit motivations behind spiritual practice and gently reorient from short-term gains toward lasting inner transformation.
Vishishtadvaita: Otherworldly fruit is meaningful when aligned with dharma under the Lord’s governance, preparing the self for His grace.
FAQs
This verse frames austerity (tapas) as a means to secure results beyond this life, emphasizing karmic continuity and the moral order that governs post-mortem outcomes.
It uses a question-driven exchange: the speaker states the purpose of austerity and invites the interlocutor to specify the intended question, setting up a didactic explanation.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s framework treats dharma and its fruits as operating under the sovereignty of the Supreme (Vishnu), who upholds cosmic order and the moral law.