Shloka 156

Pracetās, Māriṣā, Dakṣa’s Re-manifestation, and the Brahma-parastava; Cyclic Creation and Genealogies

Devanagari script

धर्मात्मा सत्यशौचादिगुणानाम् आकरः परः उपमानम् अशेषाणां साधूनां यः सदाभवत्

Transliteration

dharmātmā satyaśaucādiguṇānām ākaraḥ paraḥ upamānam aśeṣāṇāṃ sādhūnāṃ yaḥ sadābhavat

Translation

He was righteousness itself—an exalted fountainhead of virtues such as truthfulness and purity; and he ever stood as the unsurpassed standard for all the virtuous.

Word by Word

• dharmātmā: righteous-souled
• dharmātmā: Visheshana (Qualifier of ‘yaḥ’/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘धर्मः आत्मा यस्य सः’ (whose nature is dharma)

• satya-śauca-ādi-guṇānām: of virtues such as truth and purity
• satya-śauca-ādi-guṇānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक) + śauca (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासः—‘सत्यं शौचं च आदयः येषां ते गुणाः’ (समाहार/निर्देश-समास)

• ākaraḥ: a mine/source
• ākaraḥ: Karta (Predicate nominative/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• paraḥ: supreme/excellent
• paraḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘आकरः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• upamānam: a standard/example
• upamānam: Karta (Predicate nominative/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upamāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• aśeṣāṇām: of all/without remainder
• aśeṣāṇām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + śeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘साधूनाम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• sādhūnām: of the good/saints
• sādhūnām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sādhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kala-adhikarana (Time adverbial/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: always)

• abhavat: was/became
• abhavat: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The qualities that make Prahlāda (and the true devotee) a model for all sādhus.

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The truly dhārmika person becomes a living source of virtues—truth, purity, and more—serving as the measure for all sādhus.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Make satya and śauca non-negotiable daily vows; treat character as the primary form of worship.

Vishishtadvaita: In Viśiṣṭādvaita, virtues are dharma-bhūta-jñāna’s natural expression when the jīva aligns as śeṣa to the Lord—ethics flows from devotion, not mere rule-keeping.

Prahlada Narrative

Phase: Teaching

Bhakti Quality: Sādhutva grounded in bhakti—virtues arise as natural ornaments of devotion.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Sri Krishna
• Sadhus (the virtuous)

FAQs

What is the significance of satya and śauca in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents truthfulness and purity as core marks of the highest dharmic life, with Krishna portrayed as their supreme source and living standard.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the ideal of dharma through Krishna here?

Parāśara frames Krishna not merely as a follower of dharma but as dharma embodied—an inexhaustible reservoir of virtues that define righteous conduct for others.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu (Krishna) in this context?

Krishna is depicted as the supreme measure of saintliness itself, reinforcing the Vaishnava view of the Lord as the ultimate ground of virtue and moral order.