Shloka 16
स्वाध्याय-योगोपदेशः तथा केशिध्वज-खाण्डिक्य-उपाख्यानम्
Yoga through Study and Restraint; The Keśidhvaja–Khāṇḍikya Narrative Frame
शुनकं पृच्छ राजेन्द्र नाहं वेद्मि स वेत्स्यति स गत्वा तम् अपृच्छच् च सो ऽप्य् आह शृणु यन् मुने
śunakaṃ pṛccha rājendra nāhaṃ vedmi sa vetsyati sa gatvā tam apṛcchac ca so 'py āha śṛṇu yan mune
“Ask Śunaka, O lord of kings; I do not know—he will know.” Having gone and questioned him, he too replied, “Listen, O sage, to what I shall say.”
Sage Parāśara (narrating a chain of inquiry within the genealogy/royal narrative) to Maitreya
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Escalation to the true knower (Śunaka) for prāyaścitta determination.
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: True knowledge of dharma may reside with a specific competent seer; one must persist until the right authority is reached.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Don’t stop at partial answers; continue inquiry with patience until clarity is obtained from reliable expertise.
Vishishtadvaita: Persistence in right inquiry (jijñāsā) is a devotional discipline when oriented toward aligning with the Lord’s dharma.
Dharma Exemplar: Viveka (discerning the proper authority)
Key Kings: Śunaka, Kaśeru, Bhārgava (king)
FAQs
This verse shows the Purāṇic model of authority: difficult points in lineage and dharma are validated through renowned sages like Śunaka, preserving reliable transmission of royal history.
He frames genealogy as received tradition—knowledge may pass from a king to a sage (or vice versa), and the narrative explicitly marks this relay: “I do not know; ask him; he will tell.”
Even in seemingly historical genealogy, the Vishnu Purana presents ordered succession and preserved memory as part of Viṣṇu’s sustaining power—dharma and kingship endure through right transmission.