Shloka 11

मायामोह-प्रवर्तन, वेदमार्ग-बहिष्कार, तथा पाषण्ड-संसर्ग-दोषः

Māyāmoha’s Delusion, Rejection of the Vedic Path, and the Fault of Heretical Association

Devanagari script

कार्यम् एतद् अकार्यं च नैतद् एवं स्फुटं त्व् इदम् दिग्वाससाम् अयं धर्मो धर्मो ऽयं बहुवाससाम्

Transliteration

kāryam etad akāryaṃ ca naitad evaṃ sphuṭaṃ tv idam digvāsasām ayaṃ dharmo dharmo 'yaṃ bahuvāsasām

Translation

“Ini harus dilakukan, dan ini tidak harus dilakukan”—tidak selalu ditetapkan dengan jelas dalam setiap keadaan. Bagi para digvāsa (berpakaian langit), inilah dharma; dan bagi mereka yang memakai banyak pakaian, itulah dharma. Maka, ukuran laku benar sering ditentukan oleh aturan hidup yang telah diikrarkan.

Word by Word

कार्यम्a duty/what should be done

एतत्this

अकार्यम्a non-duty/what should not be done

चand

नnot

एतत्this

एवम्thus/in this way

स्फुटम्clear/explicit

तुbut

इदम्this

दिग्वाससाम्of the sky-clad (naked) ones

अयम्this

धर्मःis the dharma

धर्मः(is) dharma

अयम्this

बहुवाससाम्of those wearing many garments

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How differing codes (digvāsa vs bahuvāsa) were cited to unsettle fixed notions of duty

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dharma is not always reducible to a single external rule; it is shaped by the rule of life (vrata/āśrama) one has rightly undertaken, though not thereby rendered arbitrary.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Adopt a clear discipline (daily sādhana, vows, community norms) and judge actions by that commitment under śāstra-guidance, rather than importing incompatible standards opportunistically.

Vishishtadvaita: Supports ‘qualified’ normativity: diverse dharma-practices can coexist as modes of service to the one Lord, provided they remain śāstra-rooted and Bhagavad-ārādhanā-oriented.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

Parāśara

Maitreya

Digvāsa (sky-clad ascetics)

Householders (bahuvāsas)

FAQs

What is the significance of contextual dharma in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse highlights that dharma is not always a single, universally identical rule; it can legitimately vary according to one’s chosen discipline (like renunciation) or social-religious station (like householder life).

How does Sage Parāśara explain the difference between kārya (to be done) and akārya (not to be done)?

He indicates that the boundary is not always “sphuṭa” (perfectly explicit) in every situation, because the same act may be appropriate for one mode of life and inappropriate for another.

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

By teaching dharma as ordered, vow-consistent living, the Purana implies that righteous conduct is a way of aligning oneself with the sustaining cosmic sovereignty of Vishnu, the preserver of order (dharma) in the world.