Shloka 2
अविद्याबीज-निरूपणं, योगस्वरूप-उपदेशः, मूर्तहरिधारणा-समाधि, जनकवंशीय-राजर्षिसंवादः
केशिध्वज निबोध त्वं मया न प्रार्थितं यतः राज्यम् एतद् अशेषं ते यत्र गृध्नन्त्य् अपण्डिताः
keśidhvaja nibodha tvaṃ mayā na prārthitaṃ yataḥ rājyam etad aśeṣaṃ te yatra gṛdhnanty apaṇḍitāḥ
O Keśidhvaja, understand this: I did not seek your kingdom at all—for this entire sovereignty of yours is precisely the thing after which the unwise, driven by craving, greedily run.
A rival king addressing King Keśidhvaja (within Parāśara’s narration to Maitreya)
Concept: Worldly sovereignty is an object of craving for the unwise; the discerning do not seek it as a goal.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Treat status and control as instruments at most, not ends; cultivate contentment and reduce greed by intentional simplicity and self-inquiry.
Vishishtadvaita: Dispassion clears the way for surrender/bhakti to the Supreme, shifting reliance from temporal power to the Lord as the true refuge.
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
The verse frames political power as an object of craving for the undiscerning, implying that true worth lies in wisdom and dharma rather than possession of a kingdom.
By placing renunciatory language in a kingly dispute, the Purana shows that discernment can transcend status—turning a political moment into instruction on desire, bondage, and right conduct.
Even within dynastic history, the Purana emphasizes that sovereignty is subordinate to dharma—reflecting a Vishnu-centered moral cosmos where wisdom and restraint align one with the higher order.