Shloka 26

स्वाध्याय-योगोपदेशः तथा केशिध्वज-खाण्डिक्य-उपाख्यानम्

Yoga through Study and Restraint; The Keśidhvaja–Khāṇḍikya Narrative Frame

Devanagari script

ततः स मन्त्रिभिः सार्धम् एकान्ते सपुरोहितैः मन्त्रयाम् आस खाण्डिक्यः सर्वैर् एव महामतिः

Transliteration

tataḥ sa mantribhiḥ sārdham ekānte sapurohitaiḥ mantrayām āsa khāṇḍikyaḥ sarvair eva mahāmatiḥ

Translation

Then Khāṇḍikya—broad-minded and discerning—withdrew to a private place and, together with his ministers and household priests, took counsel with them all.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Desha-kala (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: 'then/thereafter')

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मन्त्रिभिः: with ministers
• मन्त्रिभिः: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sahakari (Association/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, सहार्थक (with/together)

• एकान्ते: in private / in a secluded place
• एकान्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• सपुरोहितैः: with (his) priests
• सपुरोहितैः: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स + पुरोहित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; अव्ययीभावः (सह पुरोहितैः = 'with the priests')

• मन्त्रयाम्: consulted / deliberated
• मन्त्रयाम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन्त्रय् (धातु; नामधातु from मन्त्र)
• Form: लिट्/लङ्-पर्यायः: लङ् (Imperfect), उत्तमपुरुष? न; अत्र 3rd person singular with periphrastic construction: 'मन्त्रयाम् आस' = लङ् (Imperfect) परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; (descriptive: he consulted)

• आस: was / did (aux.)
• आस: Kriya (Auxiliary/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; सहायक-क्रिया (auxiliary with मन्त्रयाम्)

• खाण्डिक्यः: Khāṇḍikya
• खाण्डिक्यः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खाण्डिक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सर्वैः: with all
• सर्वैः: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying implied 'those')

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• महामतिः: the great-minded one
• महामतिः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (महती मतिः यस्य सः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Kali-yuga polity: kings, ministers, and the corruption of counsel

Teaching: Historical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Royal action should proceed through mantra (consultation) with ministers and purohitas, though in Kali this process often serves power rather than dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Seek wise counsel (including ethical and spiritual advisors) before irreversible decisions; ensure the goal is justice, not mere advantage.

Vishishtadvaita: The presence of purohitas hints that governance ideally aligns with divine law, integrating worldly power with sacred guidance—an organic unity consistent with Viśiṣṭādvaita’s ordered cosmos.

Characters & Entities

• Khāṇḍikya
• ministers (mantrins)
• purohitas (royal priests)

FAQs

What is the significance of royal counsel (mantra) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse highlights that righteous rule is not impulsive: a king consults both ministers (practical governance) and priests (dharma), aligning sovereignty with moral order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain good governance in the dynastic sections?

Through brief narrative cues like this, Parāśara portrays ideal kings as deliberative, guided by competent advisers and dharma-informed ritual authority, maintaining stability in the lineage.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purāṇa frames kingship as part of a divinely sustained order—political dharma functioning under Vishnu’s overarching sovereignty of the cosmos.