Shloka 81
इक्ष्वाकुवंश-प्रसङ्गः, पुरंजय-दैवसाहाय्य-कथा, युवनाश्व-मांधातृ-उत्पत्तिः, सौभरि-वैराग्योपदेशः
आमृत्युतो नैव मनोरथानाम् अन्तो ऽस्ति विज्ञातम् इदं मयाद्य मनोरथासक्तिपरस्य चित्तं न जायते वै परमार्थसङ्गि
āmṛtyuto naiva manorathānām anto 'sti vijñātam idaṃ mayādya manorathāsaktiparasya cittaṃ na jāyate vai paramārthasaṅgi
Today I have understood this with certainty: until death there is truly no end to the mind’s cravings. For one whose heart clings to mere wishes and fantasies, the mind never becomes a companion of the Highest Good (paramārtha).
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Detachment from craving and the impediment of worldly desire to paramārtha
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: So long as one clings to mere mental projections and desires, the mind cannot become aligned with the supreme aim (paramārtha).
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Notice craving as it arises, reduce indulgence in fantasy-driven goals, and re-anchor daily intention in a higher purpose (dharma/inner freedom).
Vishishtadvaita: Paramārtha is approached by a purified mind oriented to the Supreme (Viṣṇu) rather than to self-centered enjoyments, implying the soul’s dependence on the Lord for right orientation.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse states that desires have no natural endpoint until death, so liberation requires turning the mind away from endless craving toward paramārtha—the highest aim.
He says that when the mind is absorbed in attachment to wishes and fantasies, it does not become “paramārtha-saṅgi”—capable of aligning with ultimate truth and purpose.
Paramārtha, in the Vishnu Purana’s devotional framework, culminates in turning toward Vishnu as the Supreme Reality; attachment to transient desires obstructs that orientation and thus delays moksha.