Shloka 90

भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः

Devanagari script

वृक्षारूढो महाराजो नायं वदति ते जनः न च दारुणि सर्वस् त्वां ब्रवीति शिबिकागतम्

Transliteration

vṛkṣārūḍho mahārājo nāyaṃ vadati te janaḥ na ca dāruṇi sarvas tvāṃ bravīti śibikāgatam

Translation

ໂອ ມະຫາຣາຊາ, ເມື່ອພຣະອົງຢູ່ເທິງຕົ້ນໄມ້ ປະຊາຊົນບໍ່ໄດ້ເວົ້າກັບພຣະອົງ; ແລະເມື່ອພຣະອົງມາໂດຍເສລຽງ ກໍບໍ່ມີໃຜເອີ້ນພຣະອົງເຊັ່ນກັນ।

Word by Word

वृक्षारूढः(one) mounted on a tree

महाराजःthe great king

नnot

अयम्this (man)

वदतिspeaks/says

तेyour

जनःperson/people (this person)

नnot

चand

दारुणिin the wood (timber)

सर्वःeveryone

त्वाम्you

ब्रवीतिsays/calls

शिबिकागतम्(as) ‘one who has gone into/onto the palanquin’

Speaker

Narrative voice within the dynastic account (framed by Sage Parāśara’s narration to Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: External status and posture condition social address, hinting that conventional dealings depend on upādhis (conditions) rather than intrinsic selfhood.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Notice how roles and symbols (rank, costume, platform) shape interaction; cultivate humility and discernment before reacting to social cues.

Vishishtadvaita: Begins the movement from social upādhis to deeper dependence of persons on a sustaining reality beyond mere externalities.

Characters & Entities

King

People (subjects)

Palanquin (śibikā)

FAQs

What is the significance of royal etiquette in the Vishnu Purana’s dynastic sections?

This verse highlights how public speech and access to a king were governed by formal norms, reflecting dharma as social order within the genealogical narratives.

How does Sage Parāśara explain kingship and public conduct through such scenes?

In the vaṃśa (dynasty) books, Parāśara uses brief, concrete details—like when subjects may address a king—to convey the lived structure of authority and propriety.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana frames kingship as part of a divinely ordered universe where righteous rule and social restraint uphold the cosmic order sustained by Vishnu.