Shloka 27
प्रह्लादस्य विष्णुमयता, विष्णोः दर्शनं, वरदानं, तथा चरितश्रवण-फलम्
धर्मार्थकामैः किं तस्य मुक्तिस् तस्य करे स्थिता समस्तजगतां मूले यस्य भक्तिः स्थिरा त्वयि
dharmārthakāmaiḥ kiṃ tasya muktis tasya kare sthitā samastajagatāṃ mūle yasya bhaktiḥ sthirā tvayi
What need has he of dharma, artha, or kāma? Liberation itself rests in his palm—he whose devotion is steadfast in You, the root of all worlds.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya; voiced as a devotional assertion to Vishnu in the chapter’s praise-context)
Concept: For one whose bhakti is steady in Viṣṇu—the root of the universe—puruṣārthas are transcended and mokṣa becomes assured.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Re-order goals: treat dharma/artha/kāma as subordinate disciplines, and make steady devotion the central pursuit.
Vishishtadvaita: Viṣṇu is proclaimed as the samasta-jagatām mūla (both upādāna and nimitta-kāraṇa), so attachment to Him naturally consummates all ends.
Vishnu Form: Narayana
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
The verse ranks the worldly aims as secondary when one has unwavering devotion to Vishnu; such devotion directly culminates in moksha, making lesser goals unnecessary as ultimate pursuits.
Through the dialogue framework, Parāśara emphasizes steadfast bhakti to Vishnu—the root of all existence—as the decisive means by which liberation is attained effortlessly, as if already held in one’s hand.
Vishnu is presented as the supreme foundation of the cosmos (jagat-mūla) and the direct bestower of moksha, aligning with Vaishnava Vedāntic readings where devotion to the Supreme Person surpasses all other attainments.