Shloka 7

Devanagari script

अर्हध्वं धर्मम् एतं च सर्वे यूयं महाबलाः

Transliteration

arhadhvaṃ dharmam etaṃ ca sarve yūyaṃ mahābalāḥ

Translation

Therefore, all of you—mighty in strength—should honor and uphold this dharma.

Word by Word

• अर्हध्वम्: undertake / be fit for
• अर्हध्वम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• धर्मम्: dharma
• धर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• एतम्: this
• एतम्: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (धर्मम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (and)

• सर्वे: all (of you)
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम-स्वभाव (pronominal adjective used substantively)

• यूयम्: you
• यूयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• महाबलाः: mighty ones
• महाबलाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (महच्च तत् बलं येषाम्/महाबलाः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya; exhortative instruction within the discourse on dharma and order)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Those endowed with power must especially uphold dharma, because strength is legitimate only when it sustains rightful order.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Use influence—professional, social, or physical—to protect fairness and restraint; make power accountable to principle.

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma as Lord-ordained order: the mighty become instruments of divine governance when they honor dharma rather than ego.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: dasya

FAQs

What is the significance of dharma in this verse of the Vishnu Purana?

The verse frames dharma as something to be actively honored and upheld by the capable, implying that strength and authority are meant to serve moral order, not personal desire.

How does Sage Parāśara explain proper conduct in the Vishnu Purana’s dialogue style?

Parāśara often teaches by direct exhortation—addressing the listener as responsible agents—so dharma becomes a lived discipline that maintains social and cosmic stability.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Even when Vishnu is not named, the Vishnu Purana treats dharma as aligned with Vishnu’s supreme governance of the cosmos—righteous order is understood as participating in his sustaining power.