Shloka 74
स्वर्गगमनम्, अदितिस्तुतिः-मायातत्त्वम्, तथा पारिजात-प्रसङ्गे इन्द्रयुद्धम्
तद् अलं पारिजातेन परस्वेन हृतेन नः रूपेण गर्विता सा तु भर्त्रा स्त्री का न गर्विता
tad alaṃ pārijātena parasvena hṛtena naḥ rūpeṇa garvitā sā tu bhartrā strī kā na garvitā
Enough of that Pārijāta tree—stolen from another and brought here for us. She has grown proud of her beauty; yet what woman, upheld by her husband, does not become proud?
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya; verse voiced as a character’s remark within the Krishna narrative, commonly read as Satyabhāmā’s jealous retort in the Pārijāta episode)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Narration of the Pārijāta episode and its ethical-theological meaning.
Teaching: Historical
Quality: revealing
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Krishna’s taking of the Pārijāta becomes the occasion to expose and correct deva-queenly pride and Indra’s possessiveness, reaffirming divine sovereignty over heavenly treasures.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Rightful alignment of desire and possession under dharma; curbing vanity and rivalry
Concept: Possession gained by taking from another and pride in beauty/status both feed delusion and relational harm.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Treat ‘wins’ that come from another’s loss with suspicion; practice gratitude and restraint rather than boasting over gifts, beauty, or support.
Vishishtadvaita: Worldly attributes (beauty, prosperity) are meaningful only as the Lord’s śeṣa (dependent reality), not as grounds for ego.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
FAQs
In this context it functions as a symbol of celestial wealth and prestige; the verse undercuts mere possession of such a treasure by calling it “taken from another,” shifting focus from objects to inner disposition (pride and jealousy) within Krishna’s narrative.
By embedding a sharp, human remark in the Krishna episode, Parāśara shows how beauty and marital favor can become causes of garva, illustrating a moral lesson through lived emotion rather than abstract doctrine.
Krishna’s presence frames heavenly possessions and personal rivalries within divine lordship: even the highest celestial gifts are subordinate to Vishnu’s will, and the narrative uses them to teach about attachment and the ordering of desire under dharma.