Shloka 87
मायामोह-प्रवर्तन, वेदमार्ग-बहिष्कार, तथा पाषण्ड-संसर्ग-दोषः
Māyāmoha’s Delusion, Rejection of the Vedic Path, and the Fault of Heretical Association
स्मृतजन्मक्रमः सो ऽथ तत्याज स्वं कलेवरम् जज्ञे च जनकस्यैव पुत्रो ऽसौ सुमहात्मनः
smṛtajanmakramaḥ so 'tha tatyāja svaṃ kalevaram jajñe ca janakasyaiva putro 'sau sumahātmanaḥ
Then that great one—who remembered the sequence of his former births—cast off his own body, and was born again as the very son of the noble-souled King Janaka.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: What happens when one retains memory of prior births, and how such smṛti can culminate in casting off the body and attaining a higher rebirth.
Teaching: Devotional
Quality: revealing
Concept: Continuity of consciousness (memory of birth-sequence) highlights the enduring jīva across bodies, and deliberate relinquishing of the body can lead to a more auspicious rebirth.
Vedantic Theme: Atman
Application: Cultivate self-observation and moral memory (smṛti) through meditation and scriptural reflection to reduce compulsive patterns and steer life toward sattva.
Vishishtadvaita: Personal continuity of the jīva is real (not illusory), yet dependent; remembering saṃsāra’s sequence supports surrender and aspiration for grace-guided upliftment.
Dharma Exemplar: Self-mastery through remembrance and renunciation
Key Kings: Janaka
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
It highlights exceptional spiritual attainment and karmic clarity—showing a being who carries awareness across lifetimes, reinforcing the Purana’s teaching that moral and spiritual causes shape future births.
By presenting rebirth as a mechanism through which dharma and capability re-enter a dynasty, Parāśara frames genealogy not merely as bloodline history but as karmic continuity sustaining righteous rule.
Even in genealogical passages, the Vishnu Purana implies Vishnu’s sovereign order over karma, birth, and kingship—lineages unfold within the divine governance that preserves dharma across ages.