Shloka 26
चत्वारोऽाश्रमाः — ब्रह्मचर्यादि मोक्षाश्रमपर्यन्तम्
The Four Āśramas as a graded path to mokṣa
त्रैवर्गिकांस् त्यजेत् सर्वान् आरम्भान् अवनीपते मित्रादिषु समो मैत्रः समस्तेष्व् एव जन्तुषु
traivargikāṃs tyajet sarvān ārambhān avanīpate mitrādiṣu samo maitraḥ samasteṣv eva jantuṣu
O lord of the earth, let him abandon every undertaking aimed merely at the three worldly ends; let him be even-minded toward friends and others, and abide in friendliness toward all beings.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya, framing ideals of kingship and dharma)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Saṃnyāsa discipline: abandoning pursuits of the trivarga and cultivating universal friendliness
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: compassionate
Concept: The renunciant abandons undertakings aimed only at dharma-artha-kāma and cultivates even-mindedness and friendliness toward all beings.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Reduce goal-chasing driven by status/pleasure; practice daily maitrī (benevolence) and samatā in relationships, including adversarial ones.
Vishishtadvaita: Equanimity and universal friendliness are offered as disciplines that purify the jīva for loving orientation to the Supreme rather than self-centered ends.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse presents maitrī toward all beings as a core discipline of righteous rule, extending the king’s duty beyond allies to every living creature.
He urges abandoning enterprises driven only by dharma, artha, and kāma as ends in themselves, implying a higher orientation toward liberation and spiritual steadiness.
Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the ethic of equanimity and compassion reflects governance aligned with the Supreme Order upheld by Vishnu, where sovereignty is subordinated to dharma and the higher good.