Shloka 38
अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः
सान्तानिकादयो वा ते याचमाना निराकृताः अगम्यस्त्रीरतिर् वा त्वं तेनासि विगतप्रभः
sāntānikādayo vā te yācamānā nirākṛtāḥ agamyastrīratir vā tvaṃ tenāsi vigataprabhaḥ
«Женщины, начиная с Сантаники и прочих, пришли просить союза, но ты отверг их. Или же, если твоё влечение обращено к запретным женщинам, то именно этим пороком угасла твоя слава и померкло сияние.»
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya; the line reports a rebuke/admonition within the royal narrative)
Concept: Both rejection of rightful approaches and indulgence in forbidden desire are framed as dharmic faults that diminish one’s tejas.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Handle relationships with integrity—neither exploit nor transgress boundaries; cultivate purity and clarity in desire.
Vishishtadvaita: Ethical restraint preserves sattva, enabling devotion and knowledge—qualities of the jīva as dependent mode of the Lord.
FAQs
This verse links a ruler’s inner moral failure—especially sexual misconduct or distorted desire—to the outward loss of tejas, a Purāṇic marker of authority, merit, and divine favour.
In the dynastic books, Parāśara repeatedly frames political decline as rooted in personal adharma: when restraint and dharma are abandoned, prosperity and splendour diminish, affecting both the individual and the lineage.
Even in genealogical episodes, the Vishnu Purana implies that dharma and rightful sovereignty endure only under the cosmic order upheld by Vishnu; deviation from dharma brings decline in the very ‘radiance’ that reflects that order.