Shloka 18
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
Ó rei, se o filho é proclamado como ‘paramārtha’, ainda assim ele o é apenas em relação a outro; pois o pai desse filho torna-se o ‘paramārtha’ para alguém mais.
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.