Shloka 86
अविद्याबीज-निरूपणं, योगस्वरूप-उपदेशः, मूर्तहरिधारणा-समाधि, जनकवंशीय-राजर्षिसंवादः
तावद् यावद् दृढीभूता तत्रैव नृप धारणा व्रजतस् तिष्ठतो ऽन्यद् वा स्वेच्छया कर्म कुर्वतः नापयाति यदा चित्तात् सिद्धां मन्येत तां तदा
tāvad yāvad dṛḍhībhūtā tatraiva nṛpa dhāraṇā vrajatas tiṣṭhato 'nyad vā svecchayā karma kurvataḥ nāpayāti yadā cittāt siddhāṃ manyeta tāṃ tadā
O King, one should persist in that very practice of concentration (dhāraṇā) until it becomes firm. When, whether walking, standing, or engaging in any other action by one’s own choice, it does not depart from the mind—then it should be regarded as accomplished.
Sage Parāśara (teaching King—commonly framed as a royal addressee in this moksha/yoga section, within the Parāśara–Maitreya narrative stream)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: When dhāraṇā is considered perfected and unbroken in all activities
Teaching: Devotional
Quality: compassionate
Concept: Dhāraṇā is accomplished when remembrance of the Lord remains unbroken even while walking, standing, or performing chosen actions.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Train ‘background remembrance’: brief, frequent returns to the divine name/form until it becomes continuous through daily tasks.
Vishishtadvaita: Continuous God-remembrance aligns the individual self (cit) in loving dependence on the indwelling Lord (antaryāmin), integrating action with devotion.
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Antaryamin: Yes
FAQs
This verse defines success in dhāraṇā as unbroken steadiness: the chosen focus remains in the mind even while one is walking, standing, or doing other voluntary actions.
He gives a practical criterion: the practice is ‘siddha’ when it no longer slips from the citta under changing postures and activities, showing stable inner sovereignty rather than momentary effort.
In the Vishnu Purana’s moksha-yoga frame, steadied concentration is not merely technique—it is the inner discipline that prepares the mind to abide in the Supreme Reality (Vishnu) without interruption, even amid worldly life.