Shloka 25
स्वाध्याय-योगोपदेशः तथा केशिध्वज-खाण्डिक्य-उपाख्यानम्
Yoga through Study and Restraint; The Keśidhvaja–Khāṇḍikya Narrative Frame
खाण्डिक्य संशयं प्रष्टुं भवन्तम् अहम् आगतः न त्वां हन्तुं विचार्यैतत् कोपं बाणं विमुञ्च वा
khāṇḍikya saṃśayaṃ praṣṭuṃ bhavantam aham āgataḥ na tvāṃ hantuṃ vicāryaitat kopaṃ bāṇaṃ vimuñca vā
O Khāṇḍikya, I have come before you to ask and resolve a doubt. I have not come to slay you—understand this clearly. Therefore, abandon your wrath, and release (put down) the arrow you have readied.
Unspecified interlocutor within the narrative (a speaker addressing Khāṇḍikya); relayed by Sage Parāśara to Maitreya
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Signs and conduct of Kali-yuga and the moral/political collapse it produces
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: revealing
Concept: Even amid hostility, one may seek resolution through inquiry and reason, urging the opponent to abandon krodha and suspend violence.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Before acting, state intent clearly, de-escalate, and prioritize question-and-answer over force—especially when misunderstanding or fear drives conflict.
Vishishtadvaita: The move from wrath to deliberation reflects sattva-oriented conduct, consonant with devotion’s pacifying power under the Lord’s moral order.
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse frames spiritual and ethical clarity as beginning with inquiry rather than aggression—doubt is resolved through questioning, not through force.
By embedding teachings in tense encounters—here, a potential act of violence is paused by a request for explanation—Parāśara shows dharma as lived discernment in real situations.
Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purāṇa’s ethic points toward alignment with the Supreme Order upheld by Vishnu: self-control, right understanding, and restraint over destructive impulse.