Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 19
Yayāti’s Vaiṣṇava Rule and the Earth Made Like Vaikuṇṭha
with Viṣṇu Name-Invocation
उपकाररताः पुण्या धन्यास्ते कीर्तिभाजनाः । सर्वे धर्मपरा विप्र विष्णुध्यानपरायणाः
upakāraratāḥ puṇyā dhanyāste kīrtibhājanāḥ | sarve dharmaparā vipra viṣṇudhyānaparāyaṇāḥ
الذين يسرّون بإحسانهم إلى الآخرين هم أتقياء مباركون، أهلٌ لذكرٍ خالد. يا براهمانا، إنهم جميعًا قائمون على الدارما، منقطعون كلّ الانقطاع لتأمّل فيشنو.
Unspecified (context-dependent within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa 2.75)
Concept: True blessedness and lasting fame arise from serving others and anchoring the mind in Viṣṇu while remaining steadfast in dharma.
Application: Make ‘upakāra’ a daily vow: one concrete act of help, one period of Vishnu-smaraṇa/meditation, and one dharmic restraint.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: city
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A compassionate community scene unfolds: people offer water, food, and shelter to travelers and the poor, while a group of brāhmaṇas and householders sit facing a small Vishnu shrine, eyes closed in steady meditation. Above the shrine, a subtle vision of Viṣṇu’s śaṅkha-cakra radiance appears like a blessing on their service.","primary_figures":["Beneficent householders","Brāhmaṇa interlocutor (vipra)","Meditators","Vishnu symbol/vision (śaṅkha-cakra aura)"],"setting":"Roadside charity pavilion near a small Vishnu temple; trees and a calm village edge.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["deep indigo","lamp gold","terracotta","tulsi green","pearl white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: roadside anna-dāna pavilion beside a Vishnu shrine, donors serving food and water, meditators seated with folded hands, Vishnu’s śaṅkha-cakra aura rendered with gold leaf, rich reds/greens, ornate jewelry, traditional iconographic symmetry and floral borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: gentle village edge with a small shrine, delicate figures offering charity, refined faces, cool twilight tones, lyrical trees and distant hills, a faint luminous Vishnu emblem in the sky, fine brushwork and soft gradients.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, narrative tiers showing charity and meditation, Vishnu emblematic presence above the shrine, strong reds/yellows/greens with black contouring, temple-wall composition and stylized eyes.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Vishnu-bhakti atmosphere with ornate floral borders, lotus and creeper motifs, peacocks near the shrine, deep blue ground with gold highlights, devotional symmetry emphasizing service (seva) and remembrance (smaraṇa)."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["handbell","low mridangam","soft chanting of Vishnu names","night insects","gentle footsteps of pilgrims"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: धन्यास्ते = धन्याः + ते
FAQs
It praises upakāra—actively helping others—as a source of merit (puṇya), blessedness (dhanya), and enduring good reputation (kīrti).
It links dharma-centered conduct with Vaiṣṇava practice by describing the virtuous as both dharma-parāḥ (devoted to righteousness) and viṣṇu-dhyāna-parāyaṇāḥ (absorbed in meditation on Viṣṇu).
Cultivate a life of service to others alongside steadfast moral discipline, and anchor one’s inner life in remembrance/meditation of Viṣṇu.