Shloka 20
मत्तः को ऽभ्यधिको ऽन्यो ऽस्ति कश् चाराध्यो ममापरः को ऽयं हरिर् इति ख्यातो यो वै यज्ञेश्वरो मतः
mattaḥ ko 'bhyadhiko 'nyo 'sti kaś cārādhyo mamāparaḥ ko 'yaṃ harir iti khyāto yo vai yajñeśvaro mataḥ
Who could be greater than I? Who, apart from me, is truly worthy of worship? And who is this One famed as “Hari”—the Lord of yajñas—whom the wise know as the sovereign of every sacrifice?
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya, presenting the supremacy of Vishnu/Hari)
Concept: Only Hari, recognized as Yajñeśvara (Lord of sacrifice), is ultimately worthy of worship, eclipsing all rival claims to supremacy.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Center worship and life-goals on the Supreme Lord rather than on egoic or sectarian superiority; let ritual (yajña) be offered with God as its true recipient.
Vishishtadvaita: Affirms a single supreme object of worship (Hari/Yajñeśvara) as the personal Absolute who rightfully receives all sacrificial acts.
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse identifies Hari/Vishnu as Yajñeśvara, implying that all yajñas ultimately belong to and culminate in him—he is both the receiver and the inner ruler of sacrificial order.
By framing a rhetorical challenge—“who is greater, who else is to be worshiped?”—Parāśara directs Maitreya to the conclusion that Vishnu alone is the unsurpassed, final object of devotion and reverence.
Hari is presented as the supreme, widely renowned divine reality; the title underscores Vishnu’s sovereignty and his role as the ultimate ground of dharma, worship, and cosmic governance.