Shloka 5
ऋभु-निदाघ-संवादः — अधः-ऊर्ध्व-दृष्टान्तेन अद्वैतबोधः (राजा-गज-उपमा) तथा मोक्षफलश्रुति
भो विप्र जनसंमर्दो महान् एष नरेश्वरे प्रविविक्षौ पुरं रम्यं तेनात्र स्थीयते मया
bho vipra janasaṃmardo mahān eṣa nareśvare pravivikṣau puraṃ ramyaṃ tenātra sthīyate mayā
ஓ விப்ரா! அரசனைச் சுற்றி மக்கள் நெரிசல் மிகுந்துள்ளது. அவர் அந்த அழகிய நகரில் நுழைய இருக்கிறார்; ஆகவே நான் இங்கே இப்போது தங்கியிருக்கிறேன்।
A brāhmaṇa/learned person addressing another brāhmaṇa (vipra) within the royal narrative (as related by Sage Parāśara to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Nidāgha explains he stands aside due to the crowd around the king entering the splendid city.
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: revealing
Concept: Avoiding the press of people and royal spectacle reflects a deliberate guarding of the mind from distraction and desire.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Set boundaries with overstimulating environments; practice mindful withdrawal when status-display or crowd-energy agitates the mind.
Vishishtadvaita: Detachment is not world-negation but disciplined engagement under dharma, preparing the self for God-centered knowledge and devotion.
FAQs
It signals royal sovereignty and public order: the king’s movements draw the people, reflecting the social structure and the king’s central role in sustaining dharma.
Through brief narrative details—like a king’s ceremonial city-entry and the surrounding crowds—Parāśara conveys how rājadharma operates in public life, embedding ethics within genealogy and history.
Even when Vishnu is not named in a verse, the dynastic narrative presumes divine order: rightful kingship and societal harmony are understood as functioning within Vishnu’s cosmic sovereignty (dharma upheld under the Supreme).