Shloka 28

विष्ण्वाराधन-फलम् तथा वर्णधर्माः

Worship of Vishnu through Varṇa-dharma

Devanagari script

धरित्रीपालनेनैव कृतकृत्यो नराधिपः भवन्ति नृपतेर् अंशा यतो यज्ञादिकर्मणाम्

Transliteration

dharitrīpālanenaiva kṛtakṛtyo narādhipaḥ bhavanti nṛpater aṃśā yato yajñādikarmaṇām

Translation

By the very act of protecting the earth, a ruler becomes one who has fulfilled his purpose; for from the king arise the share and continuance of works such as sacrifice and the rest.

Word by Word

• धरित्रीपालनेन: by protecting the earth
• धरित्रीपालनेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरित्री + पालन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — instrumental singular; ‘by protection of the earth’

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात — emphatic particle ‘indeed/only’

• कृतकृत्यः: having fulfilled his duty
• कृतकृत्यः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत + कृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; ‘one who has accomplished his duty’

• नराधिपः: the king
• नराधिपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; ‘king/lord of men’

• भवन्ति: become/are
• भवन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन — ‘become/are’

• नृपतेः: of the king
• नृपतेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — genitive singular; ‘of the king’

• अंशाः: parts/shares
• अंशाः: Karta/Predicate-noun (कर्ता/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अंश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — nominative plural; predicate ‘parts/shares’

• यतः: because
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — causal/relative adverb ‘because/for which reason’

• यज्ञादिकर्मणाम्: of sacrifices and other rites
• यज्ञादिकर्मणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ + आदि + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन — genitive plural; ‘of sacrifices and other rites’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Why protection of the earth is the king’s foremost duty and how it sustains yajña and dharma

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: A ruler fulfills his purpose by protecting the earth, because the continuity of yajña and allied dharmic works depends on royal guardianship.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Support institutions that preserve social trust—law, education, and worship—so that ethical and spiritual practices can endure.

Vishishtadvaita: Social and ritual order is a mode of serving the Lord; kingship is an instrumental limb (aṃśa) sustaining the Lord’s dharma in the world.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Lakshmi Presence: Bhumi

Characters & Entities

• King (Narādhipa/Nṛpati)
• Earth (Dharitrī)
• Yajña (sacrifice)

FAQs

What is the significance of protecting the earth in the Vishnu Purana’s teaching on kingship?

This verse presents earth-protection as the king’s core duty; by safeguarding people and land, he becomes ‘kṛtakṛtya’ (fulfilled), because all dharmic life depends on stable protection.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the link between royal power and yajña (sacrifice)?

Parāśara states that yajña and related rites take their effective ‘share’ or continuation from the king—meaning that public order, security, and enforcement of dharma make sacrificial and religious duties practically possible.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context of rājadharma?

Even when Vishnu is not named directly, the verse frames kingship as a dharmic instrument sustaining cosmic and social order—an order ultimately grounded in Vishnu as the Supreme Reality upheld through righteous governance.