Shloka 29

विष्ण्वाराधन-फलम् तथा वर्णधर्माः

Worship of Vishnu through Varṇa-dharma

Devanagari script

दुष्टानां शासनाद् राजा शिष्टानां परिपालनात् प्राप्नोत्य् अभिमतांल् लोकान् वर्णसंस्थाकरो नृपः

Transliteration

duṣṭānāṃ śāsanād rājā śiṣṭānāṃ paripālanāt prāpnoty abhimatāṃl lokān varṇasaṃsthākaro nṛpaḥ

Translation

By chastising the wicked and safeguarding the disciplined and virtuous, the king attains the worlds he desires; for the ruler who upholds the proper order of the varṇas stabilizes the realm’s moral structure and thus guards dharma.

Word by Word

• दुष्टानाम्: of the wicked
• दुष्टानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन — genitive plural; ‘of the wicked’

• शासनात्: from punishing
• शासनात्: Hetu/Source (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शासन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन — ablative singular; ‘from/by (the act of) punishing/disciplining’

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular

• शिष्टानाम्: of the virtuous
• शिष्टानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन — genitive plural; ‘of the good/discipline-abiding’

• परिपालनात्: from protecting
• परिपालनात्: Hetu/Source (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परि + पाल (धातु) + ल्युट् → परिपालन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन — ablative singular; ‘from/by protecting’

• प्राप्नोति: attains
• प्राप्नोति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — ‘attains’

• अभिमतान्: desired
• अभिमतान्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभिमत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — accusative plural; agrees with लोकान्; ‘desired’

• लोकान्: worlds/realms
• लोकान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — accusative plural; कर्म

• वर्णसंस्थाकरः: establisher of the varṇa-order
• वर्णसंस्थाकरः: Visheshana (Predicate-noun/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ण + संस्था + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; ‘establisher of the social orders (varṇas)’

• नृपः: the king
• नृपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; apposition to राजा

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Merit of daṇḍa-nīti: how punishing the wicked and protecting the virtuous leads to auspicious destinies

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The king gains auspicious worlds by restraining the wicked and safeguarding the virtuous, thereby stabilizing varṇa-based social order.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Lead with fair enforcement: protect the law-abiding, curb harm decisively, and build institutions that reward integrity.

Vishishtadvaita: Varṇāśrama order is treated as a functional expression of the Lord’s governance; the king’s daṇḍa becomes dharma-sevā when oriented to protection, not domination.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• King (Rājā/Nṛpa)
• The wicked (Duṣṭa)
• The virtuous (Śiṣṭa)
• Varṇa order (Varṇa-saṃsthā)

FAQs

What is the significance of punishing the wicked and protecting the virtuous in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames justice and protection as the king’s dharma: restraining wrongdoing while safeguarding the righteous sustains universal order and yields auspicious spiritual results (desired lokas).

How does Sage Parāśara explain the king’s role in maintaining social order (varṇa-saṃsthā)?

Parāśara presents the ruler as an enforcer and protector whose governance stabilizes varṇa-based social duties; by upholding this structure, the king preserves dharma in the realm.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s framework treats dharma and cosmic order as grounded in Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty; the king’s just rule participates in that divine order and thus bears transcendent फल (spiritual outcomes).