Shloka 18
परमार्थ-निर्णयः—श्रेयस्-भेदः, कर्म-ध्यान-सीमा, एकात्मदर्शनम्
पुत्रश् चेत् परमार्थाख्यः सो ऽप्य् अन्यस्य नरेश्वर परमार्थभूतः सो ऽन्यस्य परमार्थो हि तत्पिता
putraś cet paramārthākhyaḥ so 'py anyasya nareśvara paramārthabhūtaḥ so 'nyasya paramārtho hi tatpitā
ഹേ നരേശ്വരാ! പുത്രനെ ‘പരമാർത്ഥം’ എന്നു വിളിച്ചാലും, അവനും മറ്റൊരാളോടുള്ള ബന്ധത്തിൽ മാത്രമേ പരമാർത്ഥമാകൂ; കാരണം ആ പുത്രന്റെ പിതാവ് മറ്റൊരാൾക്കു പരമാർത്ഥമാകുന്നു।
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: relativity of worldly ‘highest goods’ like progeny; pointing beyond relational goods to the absolute
Teaching: Philosophical
Quality: compassionate
Concept: Even cherished ends like a ‘son as highest good’ are only relative within networks of dependence, so they cannot be the absolute paramārtha.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Love family without absolutizing it; anchor meaning in the enduring spiritual end rather than shifting relational identity.
Vishishtadvaita: Finite goods are real yet dependent and subordinate; the absolute good is the Lord, to whom all relations ultimately refer.
FAQs
Here ‘paramārtha’ is used in a relational, worldly sense: the son is a supreme good for someone (as heir, continuity, duty), not an isolated absolute.
He frames it through dependence and relation: value shifts by standpoint—if the son is a good for one, the father becomes a good for another—highlighting interconnected dharma within lineage.
Even while speaking of worldly ‘highest good’ within dynasties, the Purana’s broader stance preserves Vishnu as the true absolute; familial goods are contextual, whereas the Supreme Reality is ultimately Vishnu.