Shloka 28

वेन-पृथु-प्रादुर्भावः, राजधर्मः, पृथिवीदोहनम्

Vena–Pṛthu Episode and the Milking of Earth

Devanagari script

यो यज्ञपुरुषं विष्णुम् अनादिनिधनं प्रभुम् विनिन्दत्य् अधमाचारो न स योग्यो भुवः पतिः

Transliteration

yo yajñapuruṣaṃ viṣṇum anādinidhanaṃ prabhum vinindaty adhamācāro na sa yogyo bhuvaḥ patiḥ

Translation

He who reviles Vishnu—the Yajña-Puruṣa, the Lord without beginning or end—being of degraded conduct, is not fit to be the ruler of the earth.

Word by Word

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

• यज्ञपुरुषम्: the sacrificial Person
• यज्ञपुरुषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ + पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘यज्ञस्य पुरुषः’ (the Person of sacrifice)

• विष्णुम्: Vishnu
• विष्णुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (proper noun)

• अनादिनिधनम्: beginningless and endless
• अनादिनिधनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनादि + निधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘विष्णुम्’); ‘आदिश्च निधनं च न यस्य’ (without beginning and end)

• प्रभुम्: the Lord
• प्रभुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विष्णोः विशेष्य-नाम (appositional)

• विनिन्दति: reviles
• विनिन्दति: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + निन्द् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्; धातु: वि+निन्द् (to revile)

• अधमाचारः: a man of vile conduct
• अधमाचारः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधम + आचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘अधमः आचारः यस्य’ इति बहुव्रीह्यर्थे अपि प्रचलितम् (used as ‘one of base conduct’)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

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

• योग्यः: fit; worthy
• योग्यः: Predicate (Vidhāna/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: योग्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative adjective)

• भुवः: of the earth
• भुवः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुव्/भू (प्रातिपदिक: भुव्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), षष्ठी (genitive, 6th), एकवचन; ‘भू’ (earth)

• पतिः: lord; ruler
• पतिः: Predicate-noun (Vidhāna/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Why reviling Vishnu disqualifies one from sovereignty

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Since Vishnu is the eternal Yajña-Puruṣa and Lord without beginning or end, one who reviles Him is unfit to govern, for rulership must uphold divine order.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Let leadership—personal or public—be grounded in reverence, humility, and protection of dharmic institutions rather than contempt for the sacred.

Vishishtadvaita: Vishnu as anādi-nidhana prabhu is both transcendent Lord and the very yajña that sustains the world—linking devotion with social order.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Yajna-Purusha

FAQs

What is the significance of Yajña-Puruṣa in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse identifies Vishnu as the indwelling Lord of sacrifice (Yajña-Puruṣa), implying that cosmic order and social order are sustained by reverence to Him; rejecting Him undermines dharma itself.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the qualification for kingship here?

Parāśara frames kingship as a moral-spiritual office: a ruler must uphold dharma, and one who reviles the beginningless and endless Lord shows degraded conduct and is therefore unfit to govern.

What is Lord Vishnu’s theological importance in this context?

Vishnu is presented as the supreme, eternal sovereign (anādi-nidhana prabhu); acknowledging His supremacy becomes a criterion for legitimate authority and righteous rule.