Shloka 42
स्वाध्याय-योगोपदेशः तथा केशिध्वज-खाण्डिक्य-उपाख्यानम्
Yoga through Study and Restraint; The Keśidhvaja–Khāṇḍikya Narrative Frame
निष्पादितो मया यागः सम्यक् त्वदुपदेशतः सो ऽहं ते दातुम् इच्छामि वृणुष्व गुरुदक्षिणाम्
niṣpādito mayā yāgaḥ samyak tvadupadeśataḥ so 'haṃ te dātum icchāmi vṛṇuṣva gurudakṣiṇām
“By your instruction I have duly and perfectly completed the sacrificial rite. Therefore I wish to give you what is due; choose the gurudakṣiṇā you desire.”
A king or patron addressing his preceptor (guru) after completing a yajña, within the Parāśara–Maitreya narration
Speaker: Parasara
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: revealing
Concept: Ritual action becomes dharmic and purifying when performed correctly under guidance and completed with due offering (gurudakṣiṇā) in a spirit of obligation and gratitude.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Complete commitments fully: learn properly, execute conscientiously, and honor mentors/teachers through appropriate gratitude and support.
Vishishtadvaita: Right action (karma) is meaningful when oriented to sacred order and offered with humility—an expression of śeṣatva (the self as dependent servant) central to Viśiṣṭādvaita ethics.
Bhakti Type: Dasya
FAQs
This verse highlights gurudakṣiṇā as a dharmic completion of learning and ritual—honoring the guru whose guidance enabled the yajña to be performed correctly.
By stressing that the sacrifice is accomplished 'properly' through right instruction, the text presents yajña as regulated action that sustains order—ultimately functioning within Vishnu’s overarching governance of dharma.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s worldview treats correct dharmic action (like yajña and honoring the guru) as participation in the divinely upheld cosmic order, with Vishnu as the Supreme Reality behind that order.