Shloka 13

Maitreya’s Inquiry into Prahlāda: The Logic of Bhakti’s Invincibility

Devanagari script

तस्मिन् धर्मपरे नित्यं केशवाराधनोद्यते स्ववंशप्रभवैर् दैत्यैः कर्तुं द्वेषो ऽतिदुष्करः

Transliteration

tasmin dharmapare nityaṃ keśavārādhanodyate svavaṃśaprabhavair daityaiḥ kartuṃ dveṣo 'tiduṣkaraḥ

Translation

เพราะเขาตั้งมั่นในธรรมเสมอและมุ่งมั่นบูชาพระเกศวะไม่ขาดสาย แม้เหล่าไทตยะที่เกิดจากวงศ์ของตนเองก็ยากยิ่งที่จะคงความเกลียดชังต่อเขาไว้ได้

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in him, in that (person)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• धर्मपरे: devoted to dharma
• धर्मपरे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्मपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) ‘धर्मे परः’

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-द्वितीया-एकवचनप्रयोगः (adverbial accusative)

• केशवाराधनोद्यते: ever intent on worship of Keśava
• केशवाराधनोद्यते: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: केशव+आराधन+उद्यत (प्रातिपदिक; √यम्/उद्यत ‘ready’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) ‘केशवस्य आराधने उद्यतः’

• स्ववंशप्रभवैः: born from his own lineage
• स्ववंशप्रभवैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व+वंश+प्रभव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) ‘स्ववंशात् प्रभवः’

• दैत्यैः: by the Daityas
• दैत्यैः: Karana (Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), बहुवचन

• कर्तुम्: to do, to make
• कर्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृदन्त)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive), अव्ययवत्; अर्थः ‘to do/make’

• द्वेषः: hatred
• द्वेषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• अतिदुष्करः: extremely difficult
• अतिदुष्करः: Kriya (Predicate complement/क्रिया-पूर्ति)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति+दुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः (कर्मधारय) ‘अत्यन्तं दुष्करः’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How Prahlāda’s virtues affected even his own Daitya kin

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: didactic, virtue-centered

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Steadiness in dharma and constant Keśava-worship naturally disarms hostility, even among those predisposed to hatred.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Pair daily worship with deliberate non-envy (vimatsaratā) to transform conflict in family/community settings.

Vishishtadvaita: Bhakti is not mere emotion but dharma-in-action; the devotee’s virtues manifest as Bhagavān’s grace working through the jīva in the world.

Prahlada Narrative

Phase: Teaching (Prahlada's schools)

Bhakti Quality: nitya-keśava-ārādhana (constant worship) and vimatsaratā (freedom from malice)

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Keśava (Vishnu)
• Daityas
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the significance of Keśava-worship in this verse of the Vishnu Purana?

It presents devotion to Vishnu (Keśava) as a living power that makes the devotee morally radiant and socially unassailable, weakening even inherited hostility.

How does Sage Parāśara frame the conflict between dharma and hatred here?

Parāśara implies that steady dharma and constant worship create an inner authority that renders hatred difficult to maintain, even for adversaries from the same asura lineage.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Vishnu is shown as the Supreme Lord whose worship is not merely ritual but transformative—establishing dharma and dissolving enmity through the devotee’s alignment with the highest reality.