Shloka 17
विष्ण्वाराधन-फलम् तथा वर्णधर्माः
Worship of Vishnu through Varṇa-dharma
यथात्मनि च पुत्रे च सर्वभूतेषु यस् तथा हितकामो हरिस् तेन तोष्यते सर्वदा सुखम्
yathātmani ca putre ca sarvabhūteṣu yas tathā hitakāmo haris tena toṣyate sarvadā sukham
Hari is ever pleased with the one who seeks the welfare of all beings and regards every creature with the same care he naturally has for himself and for his son—thus abiding in the joy born of universal goodwill.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Universal goodwill and equal regard as the disposition that pleases Hari
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: compassionate
Concept: Hari is pleased by one who seeks the welfare of all beings, extending to all the same care one naturally gives to oneself and one’s child.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Cultivate empathy-based ethics: act for others’ good in family, work, and society, treating every being as worthy of protection and respect.
Vishishtadvaita: Universal compassion aligns with seeing all selves as belonging to the Lord (śeṣa-śeṣin relation), fostering equal regard without denying real plurality.
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse frames universal welfare as a direct cause of Hari’s pleasure, making compassion and equal regard a central marker of dharma rather than a merely social virtue.
He defines it concretely: treat all beings with the same protective concern one naturally extends to oneself and one’s own child—an ethical standard meant to guide daily conduct.
Vishnu (Hari) is presented as the supreme moral center who responds to inner disposition—He is pleased by benevolence toward all life, aligning devotion with universal dharma.