Shloka 23
यमस्य अधिकारभङ्गः — वैष्णवस्य लक्षणम्
Freedom from Yama through Hari-śaraṇāgati
स्फटिकगिरिशिलामलः क्व विष्णुर् मनसि नृणां क्व च मत्सरादिदोषः न हि तुहिनमयूखरश्मिपुञ्जे भवति हुताशनदीप्तिजः प्रतापः
sphaṭikagiriśilāmalaḥ kva viṣṇur manasi nṛṇāṃ kva ca matsarādidoṣaḥ na hi tuhinamayūkharaśmipuñje bhavati hutāśanadīptijaḥ pratāpaḥ
Where is Viṣṇu—spotless as a crystal mountain—abiding in the human mind, and where, in that same mind, can jealousy and the rest of the faults endure? For in a heap of moonbeams, born of coolness, the scorching blaze that arises from fire can never be found.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Concept: If Viṣṇu—spotless like crystal—abides in the mind, jealousy and allied vices cannot co-exist there, just as fire’s scorching heat cannot arise from cool moonbeams.
Vedantic Theme: Atman
Application: Use the ‘incompatibility test’: when jealousy arises, intentionally re-center on the Lord through nāma-smaraṇa until the mind cools and clears.
Vishishtadvaita: Affirms the Lord’s immanence as purifier: divine indwelling transforms the jīva’s mental modes rather than dissolving the jīva’s distinct identity.
Vishnu Form: Narayana
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Antaryamin: Yes
FAQs
This verse treats matsara as a प्रमुख दोष (primary inner fault) that cannot coexist with genuine Vishnu-smṛti (remembrance of Vishnu), implying envy dissolves when the mind is anchored in the Supreme.
Parāśara uses an incompatibility metaphor: as fire’s scorching heat cannot arise from cool moonbeams, so too jealousy and related दोष cannot persist where Vishnu—utterly pure—truly abides in the mind.
Vishnu is presented as the stainless, all-pervading Supreme whose presence purifies consciousness; devotion is not merely emotional but transformative, displacing passions with divine clarity.