Shloka 3
Yuga-Dharma, Kalpa Measure, Purāṇa Definitions, and the Kali-Yuga Power of Nāma-Kīrtana
धर्मो हि भगवान्विष्णुः पूजी विष्णोस्तु तर्पणम् / होमः सन्ध्या तथा ध्यानं धारणा सकलं हरिः
dharmo hi bhagavānviṣṇuḥ pūjī viṣṇostu tarpaṇam / homaḥ sandhyā tathā dhyānaṃ dhāraṇā sakalaṃ hariḥ
إنّ الدَّرما نفسها هي الربّ المبارك فيشنو. والعبادةُ حقًّا هي التَّرْپَنَة التي تُرضي فيشنو؛ وكذلك الهُوما، والسَّندْهْيا، والتأمّل، وتثبيتُ القلب (دهارَنا)—فكلُّ ذلك هو هَري وحده.
Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinatā-putra)
Concept: Viṣṇu is identical with dharma and with the totality of worshipful acts; the means (practice) and the end (Hari) are unified.
Vedantic Theme: Antaryāmin/Īśvara as the inner essence of all dharmic action; integration of karma, upāsanā, and meditation into one God-centered reality.
Application: Perform duties with the recognition that the divine is the substance of the act, the intention, and the fruit; cultivate dhyāna and dhāraṇā alongside ritual without compartmentalizing.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: repeated identification of Viṣṇu-nāma and Viṣṇu-smaraṇa as the essence of dharma and purifier of sins; Garuda Purana: teachings that devotion transforms rites into liberating worship
FAQs
The verse equates dharma with Lord Viṣṇu Himself, teaching that righteous living is not separate from devotion—it is a direct form of honoring Hari.
By identifying ritual acts (tarpaṇa, homa, sandhyā) and inner disciplines (dhyāna, dhāraṇā) as Hari, it frames the soul’s progress as purification through Viṣṇu-centered conduct and contemplation.
Treat ethical duty and daily practices—prayer, offerings, meditation, and focused attention—as worship of Viṣṇu, integrating devotion into both ritual and everyday conduct.