Shloka 124
गृहस्थस्य सदाचारः: शौच, तर্পण, वैश्वदेव, अतिथिधर्म, भोजन-विधि, संध्योपासन, ऋतु-धर्मः
परदारान् न गच्छेत मनसापि कदाचन किम् उ वाचास्थिबन्धो ऽपि नास्ति तेषु व्यवायिनाम्
paradārān na gaccheta manasāpi kadācana kim u vācāsthibandho 'pi nāsti teṣu vyavāyinām
Nunca te aproximes da esposa de outrem, nem sequer com a mente. Quanto menos por palavra e por ato! Os que buscam tal união ilícita parecem não ter sequer o vínculo do pudor e do autocontrole.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Condemnation of adultery: prohibition even at the mental level, escalating to speech and action.
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: admonitory
Concept: Adultery is forbidden from its very root—mental intention—since loss of inner restraint collapses the very basis of decency and dharma.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Practice inner vigilance (thought-discipline): set boundaries, avoid cultivating fantasies, and align desire with ethical commitment.
Vishishtadvaita: Mind as a mode of the self under Bhagavān’s lordship; regulating intention honors the Lord as antaryāmin even if not named explicitly.
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
The verse treats desire itself as the seed of adharma, insisting that dharma begins with inner purity—self-restraint in thought—before speech and action.
By presenting a graded standard—mind, speech, and deed—Parāśara frames dharma as comprehensive discipline, where violating marital boundaries indicates a collapse of basic moral structure.
Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching supports Vaishnava dharma: social and inner order are upheld as part of the cosmic order ultimately grounded in the Supreme Lord’s sovereignty.