Shloka 67
कथाशरीरत्वम् अवाप यद् वै मान्धातृनामा भुवि चक्रवर्ती श्रुत्वापि तं को हि करोति साधुर् ममत्वम् आत्मन्य् अपि मन्दचेताः
kathāśarīratvam avāpa yad vai māndhātṛnāmā bhuvi cakravartī śrutvāpi taṃ ko hi karoti sādhur mamatvam ātmany api mandacetāḥ
That universal monarch on earth, named Māndhātṛ, has truly become a ‘body of story’—a mere subject for narration. Even after hearing of him, what good person would still fashion possessiveness, even toward one’s own self?
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya, within the royal genealogy narrative)
Speaker: Parasara
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: revealing
Concept: Even a universal emperor becomes mere narration over time; therefore clinging to ‘mine-ness’—even toward the body—is folly.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Use historical exemplars to weaken possessiveness; practice daily reflection that status and identity are transient.
Vishishtadvaita: Detachment supports prapatti/bhakti by redirecting the jīva from false ownership to its true status as the Lord’s dependent (śeṣa).
Vamsha: Surya
Dharma Exemplar: Vairagya (instructional exemplar: renunciation prompted by history)
Key Kings: Māndhātṛ
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: shanta
FAQs
It emphasizes impermanence: even a world-emperor ultimately survives only as narration, so the wise should not cling to possessions or status.
He uses Māndhātṛ’s example to show that attachment is irrational—if even an emperor passes into mere story, “mine-ness” (even toward one’s own body/self) is a mark of dull understanding.
By contrasting transient sovereignty with enduring spiritual truth, the Purāṇa implicitly directs the mind from worldly power to the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—who alone is stable beyond time and change.