Shloka 18
स्वाध्याय-योगोपदेशः तथा केशिध्वज-खाण्डिक्य-उपाख्यानम्
Yoga through Study and Restraint; The Keśidhvaja–Khāṇḍikya Narrative Frame
स चाह तं प्रयाम्य् एष प्रष्टुम् आत्मरिपुं मुने प्राप्त एव मया यज्ञो यदि मां स हनिष्यति
sa cāha taṃ prayāmy eṣa praṣṭum ātmaripuṃ mune prāpta eva mayā yajño yadi māṃ sa haniṣyati
And he said: “I shall go to him, O sage, to question that enemy of my own self. If he should kill me, then the sacrifice I have obtained will indeed be fulfilled.”
A kshatriya/royal figure speaking to a sage (muni) within Parasara’s narration to Maitreya
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The king’s resolve to seek dharma even at mortal risk; yajña-fruit framed through self-offering.
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: compassionate
Concept: Dharma may demand risking one’s life; accepting consequences as an offering transforms action into yajña.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Act from duty and conscience even when outcomes are uncertain; treat personal loss as part of a larger ethical offering rather than as defeat.
Vishishtadvaita: Action as yajña aligns with surrender (śaraṇāgati): the self’s agency is offered within the Lord’s moral order, integrating worldly duty with spiritual intent.
Dharma Exemplar: Tyāga (self-sacrificing resolve for dharma)
Key Kings: Khāṇḍikya, Bhārgava (king)
FAQs
It frames the conflict as moral and inward: the true adversary is the self’s downfall—fear, ego, or unrighteousness—so the encounter becomes a test of dharma rather than mere hostility.
By narrating decisive moments where rulers choose duty over personal safety, Parāśara uses history as instruction—showing how intention, vow, and sacrifice shape both personal fate and social order.
Even when not named, the Purāṇa’s ethic assumes Vishnu as the sustaining Supreme Reality: steadfast adherence to dharma and yajña aligns the individual with the cosmic order that Vishnu preserves.