Shloka 53
मायामोह-प्रवर्तन, वेदमार्ग-बहिष्कार, तथा पाषण्ड-संसर्ग-दोषः
Māyāmoha’s Delusion, Rejection of the Vedic Path, and the Fault of Heretical Association
श्रूयते च पुरा ख्यातो राजा शतधनुर् भुवि पत्नी च शैब्या तस्याभूद् अतिधर्मपरायणा
śrūyate ca purā khyāto rājā śatadhanur bhuvi patnī ca śaibyā tasyābhūd atidharmaparāyaṇā
قدیم روایت میں سنا جاتا ہے کہ زمین پر شتدھنو نام کا ایک نامور راجا تھا؛ اور اس کی بیوی شَیبیہ نہایت دھرم پرایَنہ تھی۔
Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Consequences of dharma/adharma and the power of devotion as illustrated through an ancient royal narrative.
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Dharma Exemplar: Rāja-dharma (exemplary adherence to dharma)
Key Kings: Śatadhanu
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse marks a genealogical turning point by naming a famed king and a notably dharmic queen, setting up subsequent events in the dynasty where moral conduct and its consequences become central.
By using “śrūyate” (“it is heard/handed down”), Parāśara presents the account as received tradition, a standard Purāṇic method for grounding royal history in authoritative remembrance.
Even in a verse focused on lineage, the emphasis on dharma reflects the Purāṇic view that righteous order—ultimately upheld by Vishnu—governs the legitimacy and fate of kings and their households.