Shloka 5
सदाचार-नियमाः: शील, संयम, संग-निषेध, शुचिता, वाणी-नीति, परोपकारः
नान्यस्त्रियं तथा वैरं रोचयेत् पुरुषेश्वर न दुष्टयानम् आरोहेत् कूलच्छायां न संश्रयेत्
nānyastriyaṃ tathā vairaṃ rocayet puruṣeśvara na duṣṭayānam ārohet kūlacchāyāṃ na saṃśrayet
ഹേ പുരുഷശ്രേഷ്ഠാ, മറ്റൊരാളുടെ ഭാര്യയുടെ സംഗം ആഗ്രഹിക്കരുത്; വൈരവും വളർത്തരുത്. ദുഷ്ടമായ വാഹനത്തിൽ കയറരുത്; വഞ്ചകമായ കരയുടെ നിഴലിലും ആശ്രയിക്കരുത്.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya; vocative 'puruṣeśvara' used as an address within the didactic passage)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Avoidance of near occasions of downfall: illicit desire, enmity, and unsafe associations
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: One should avoid illicit relationships, the cultivation of hostility, and any ‘vehicle’ or refuge that is morally or practically unsafe—shunning even proximate causes of ruin to preserve dharma.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Set clear boundaries: avoid compromising situations, de-escalate conflicts early, and choose environments/companions that support integrity.
Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is protected by prudent avoidance (saṃyama) in embodied life, enabling stable devotion and service to the Lord amid worldly risks.
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse frames dharma as preventive discipline: social harmony and inner purity are protected by refusing adultery and hostility, which are seen as root-causes of downfall.
Parāśara teaches that wisdom avoids not only sin itself but also risky conditions—unsafe conveyances and unstable banks symbolize situations that appear harmless yet can quickly lead to ruin.
Even when the verse is ethical, its backdrop is Vishnu as the upholder of ṛta/dharma: personal restraint becomes a way of living in harmony with the Supreme order that Vishnu sustains.