Shloka 6

Supremacy of Hari-Bhakti in Kali-yuga; Warnings on Sensual Attachment; Praise of Brāhmaṇas, Purāṇa-Listening, and Gaṅgā

Devanagari script

कलौ नारायणं देवं यजते यः स धर्म्मभाक् । दामोदरं हृषीकेशं पुरुहूतं सनातनम्

Transliteration

kalau nārāyaṇaṃ devaṃ yajate yaḥ sa dharmmabhāk | dāmodaraṃ hṛṣīkeśaṃ puruhūtaṃ sanātanam

Translation

في عصر كالي، من يعبد الإله ناراياṇa حقًّا فهو شريك في الدharma—يعبده بصفته دامودارا، هريشيكيشا، بوروهوته، الأزليّ.

Word by Word

• कलौ: in Kali (age)
• कलौ: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular

• नारायणम्: Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: कर्म (Object/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — apposition to नारायणम्

• यजते: worships
• यजते: क्रिया (Verb/action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — ‘worships’

• यः: who
• यः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — relative pronoun

• सः: he
• सः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — correlative pronoun

• धर्म-भाक्: a partaker of dharma; righteous
• धर्म-भाक्: विशेषण (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + भज् (धातु) → भाक् (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (भाक् = ‘sharing/possessing’, from √भज्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — तत्पुरुष (‘dharma’ + ‘possessor’) predicate adjective of सः

• दामोदरम्: Dāmodara
• दामोदरम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दामोदर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular (object understood with ‘यजते’)

• हृषीकेशम्: Hṛṣīkeśa
• हृषीकेशम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृषीकेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular

• पुरुहूतम्: Puruhūta
• पुरुहूतम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुहूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular

• सनातनम्: eternal
• सनातनम्: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — adjective qualifying the deity-names

Speaker

Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context needed from surrounding verses to confirm the dialogue frame, e.g., Pulastya–Bhīṣma or Śiva–Pārvatī).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: धर्म्मभाक् = धर्म + भाक् (कृदन्त); second pāda continues objects of implied ‘यजते’ (worships).

Characters & Entities

• Nārāyaṇa (Viṣṇu)
• Dāmodara
• Hṛṣīkeśa
• Puruhūta
• Sanātana (the Eternal Lord)

FAQs

How does this verse emphasize the path of Bhakti in Kali-yuga?

It declares that worship of Nārāyaṇa in Kali-yuga itself constitutes dharma, highlighting devotion (bhakti) as an accessible and sufficient religious path in this age.

Why are multiple names like Dāmodara and Hṛṣīkeśa used for the same deity?

The epithets point to different aspects of the Lord—Dāmodara evokes His intimate, grace-filled līlā; Hṛṣīkeśa indicates His mastery over the senses; Puruhūta suggests being widely invoked—together presenting a fuller theological portrait of Nārāyaṇa.

What is the ethical lesson conveyed by calling the worshiper 'dharmmabhāk'?

The verse teaches that righteousness is not merely social duty or ritual complexity; sincere worship aligned to the Divine becomes a direct participation in dharma and a grounding for ethical life.