Shloka 39
Pracetās, Māriṣā, Dakṣa’s Re-manifestation, and the Brahma-parastava; Cyclic Creation and Genealogies
विनिन्द्येत्थं स धर्मज्ञः स्वयम् आत्मानम् आत्मना ताम् अप्सरसम् आसीनाम् इदं वचनम् अब्रवीत्
vinindyetthaṃ sa dharmajñaḥ svayam ātmānam ātmanā tām apsarasam āsīnām idaṃ vacanam abravīt
Assim, tendo repreendido a si mesmo—o próprio ser corrigindo o próprio ser—aquele conhecedor do dharma dirigiu estas palavras à Apsaras sentada diante dele.
Primary narrator: Sage Parāśara (reporting the action within the story); in-verse actor: a dharmajña (righteous man/ascetic) speaking to an Apsaras
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Narration of the dharmajña’s inner self-censure leading to direct address of the apsaras
Teaching: Historical
Quality: narrative and illustrative
Concept: True dharma-knowledge includes the capacity for inner critique—ātmanā ātmanam—where the self becomes the witness and corrector of its own lapse.
Vedantic Theme: Atman
Application: Practice daily self-audit (svādhyāya) and cultivate the inner witness to interrupt impulsive actions before they mature into bondage.
Vishishtadvaita: The ‘self correcting the self’ aligns with the jīva’s accountable agency under the Lord’s governance; ethical awakening prepares the ground for God-centered surrender.
FAQs
This verse highlights inner sovereignty—correcting oneself by one’s own conscience—as the immediate foundation of dharma, implying that cosmic order is mirrored in personal self-rule.
Through compact narrative moments like this, Parāśara shows that dharma is lived through choices: a righteous person recognizes lapse, censures himself, and then speaks/acts from restored discernment.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s framework treats dharma and self-mastery as expressions of the Supreme Order upheld by Vishnu—personal restraint aligning life with that higher reality.