Shloka 57
मायामोह-प्रवर्तन, वेदमार्ग-बहिष्कार, तथा पाषण्ड-संसर्ग-दोषः
Māyāmoha’s Delusion, Rejection of the Vedic Path, and the Fault of Heretical Association
एकदा तु समं स्नातौ तौ तु भार्यापती जले भागीरथ्याः समुत्तीर्णौ कार्त्तिक्यां समुपोषितौ पाषण्डिनम् अपश्येताम् आयान्तं संमुखं द्विज
ekadā tu samaṃ snātau tau tu bhāryāpatī jale bhāgīrathyāḥ samuttīrṇau kārttikyāṃ samupoṣitau pāṣaṇḍinam apaśyetām āyāntaṃ saṃmukhaṃ dvija
Once, after the husband and wife had bathed together in the waters of the Bhāgīrathī and come up to the bank—observing a fast in the month of Kārttika—O brāhmaṇa, they saw a pāṣaṇḍin, a heretical ascetic, approaching them face to face.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: A dharmic episode set at the Bhāgīrathī during Kārttika-vrata leading to a test involving contact with a pāṣaṇḍin.
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: revealing
Concept: Even in sacred times and places, discernment in association (saṅga) matters; vows can be tested by unexpected encounters.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Keep spiritual disciplines steady during festivals/pilgrimages while exercising discrimination and respectful boundaries in company.
Vishishtadvaita: Tīrtha and vrata are aids, yet inner orientation and right association safeguard bhakti—external purity must align with devotion to the Lord.
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse frames Kārttika as a potent sacred time for vrata (fasting) and purification rites, setting a dharmic backdrop against which one’s adherence to Vedic order is tested.
Parāśara places a disciplined couple—fresh from Gaṅgā-bathing and fasting—into a direct encounter with a pāṣaṇḍin, using the contrast to teach discernment and steadfastness in orthodox dharma.
Even when not named explicitly, the Kārttika vrata and river purification are traditionally oriented toward Viṣṇu as the supreme sustainer of dharma, implying that true observance aligns the devotee with the cosmic order He upholds.