Shloka 22
वंशवर्णनम्, अनिरुद्धविवाहः, तथा बलराम-रुक्मी द्यूतविवादः
जितं बलेन धर्मेण रुक्मिणा भाषितं मृषा अनुक्त्वापि वचः किंचित् कृतं भवति कर्मणा
jitaṃ balena dharmeṇa rukmiṇā bhāṣitaṃ mṛṣā anuktvāpi vacaḥ kiṃcit kṛtaṃ bhavati karmaṇā
Victory is won by strength joined with dharma; yet what Rukmī has spoken is false. Even without uttering a single word, a deed is fulfilled through action.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Concept: Actions (karma) establish reality and consequence even when words deny or distort the truth.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Let conduct—not rhetoric—be your proof; refuse to be swayed by manipulative speech when facts are clear.
Vishishtadvaita: Karma unfolds within the Lord-governed moral order; truth is objective, not merely linguistic convention.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse frames victory as legitimate when strength is aligned with dharma, implying that sovereignty is validated by righteousness rather than mere power.
He contrasts false speech with effective action, teaching that outcomes are ultimately produced by karma (deeds), not by declarations—especially when words are untrue.
Even when Vishnu is not named, the verse echoes a Vaishnava moral cosmos where dharma—rooted in the Supreme Order upheld by Vishnu—governs kingship, truth, and the consequences of action.