Shloka 7
Maṅgalācaraṇa, the Sages’ Inquiry, and Hari as Supreme with an Avatāra-Outline
को ध्येयः को जगत्स्रष्टा जगत्पात्ति च हन्ति कः / कस्मात्प्रवर्तते धर्मो दुष्टहन्ता च कः स्मृतः
ko dhyeyaḥ ko jagatsraṣṭā jagatpātti ca hanti kaḥ / kasmātpravartate dharmo duṣṭahantā ca kaḥ smṛtaḥ
Siapakah yang patut direnungkan? Siapakah pencipta jagat raya? Siapa yang memelihara dunia dan siapa yang meleburkannya? Dari siapa dharma mengalir, dan siapa dikenang sebagai pembinas a orang jahat?
Garuda (Vinata-putra) addressing Lord Vishnu
Concept: The Supreme as dhyeya and as the single source of creation, preservation, dissolution, dharma, and the destruction of adharma.
Vedantic Theme: Īśvara as abhinna-nimitta-upādāna-kāraṇa (both efficient and material cause in Purāṇic idiom) and dharma-yonitva (source of dharma).
Application: Adopt a unified worldview: meditate on the Supreme as the ground of cosmic order; align conduct with dharma understood as emanating from the Lord’s ordinance.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: assembly (saṃvāda setting)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.1.8 (form, creation doctrine, vows, yoga); Garuda Purana 1.1.9 (avatāras, varṇāśrama)
FAQs
This verse frames the text’s theology by asking who alone is truly “dhyeya” (worthy of contemplation), pointing the reader toward a single supreme principle behind creation, protection, destruction, and dharma.
Indirectly, it establishes that dharma originates from the supreme ruler; in the Garuda Purana’s broader narrative, the soul’s post-death journey and outcomes depend on alignment with that dharma.
Use it as a daily reflection: keep your worship/attention on the highest good, live by dharma, and avoid wrongdoing—since the same divine order sustains the world and removes evil.