Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 26
Rāsa-līlā Begins; Divine Multiplication; Moral Doubt and Its Resolution
श्रीपरीक्षिदुवाच संस्थापनाय धर्मस्य प्रशमायेतरस्य च । अवतीर्णो हि भगवानंशेन जगदीश्वर: ॥ २६ ॥ स कथं धर्मसेतूनां वक्ता कर्ताभिरक्षिता । प्रतीपमाचरद् ब्रह्मन् परदाराभिमर्शनम् ॥ २७ ॥
śrī-parīkṣid uvāca saṁsthāpanāya dharmasya praśamāyetarasya ca avatīrṇo hi bhagavān aṁśena jagad-īśvaraḥ
帕利克希特王说道：“婆罗门啊，为建立正法、平息非法，宇宙之主薄伽梵携其全分降临人间。他本是道德法则之宣说者、践行者与守护者；那么，婆罗门啊，他怎会作出违背正法之举，触及他人之妻呢？”
As Śukadeva Gosvāmī was speaking, King Parīkṣit noticed that some persons seated in the assembly on the bank of the Ganges were harboring doubt about the Lord’s activities. These doubtful persons were karmīs, jñānīs and others who were not devotees of the Lord. To clear up their doubts, King Parīkṣit asks this question on their behalf.
FAQs
This verse states that the Lord descends to establish dharma and to subdue its opposite—adharma—because He is the jagad-īśvara, the controller of all worlds.
Parīkṣit raises a principled doubt while hearing the rāsa-līlā: if the Lord comes to uphold dharma, how should one understand actions that appear to contradict ordinary moral codes.
Align daily choices with truthfulness, self-control, and devotion—supporting dharma in one’s own conduct rather than just judging others’ actions.