Shloka 28
Genealogies from Purūravas to the Haihayas; Jayadhvaja’s Vaiṣṇava Resolve, Sage-Adjudication, and the Slaying of Videha
तस्मान्महीपतीनां तु राज्यं पालयतामयम् / आराध्यो भगवान् विष्णुः केशवः केशिमर्दनः
tasmānmahīpatīnāṃ tu rājyaṃ pālayatāmayam / ārādhyo bhagavān viṣṇuḥ keśavaḥ keśimardanaḥ
तस्मात् महीपतीनां राज्यपालनपराणां एष एव धर्म्यः पन्थाः—भगवान् विष्णुः केशवः केशिमर्दनः परमाराध्यतया पूजनीयः।
Narrator/teacher voice within the Rajadharma discourse (instructional passage of the Kurma Purana)
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By prescribing worship of Bhagavan Vishnu as the highest refuge for rulers, the verse implies a single supreme divine principle worthy of ultimate reliance; ethical kingship is anchored in alignment with that transcendent Lord rather than mere political power.
The verse emphasizes ārādhana (devotional propitiation) as a disciplined spiritual practice for householders and rulers—i.e., steady worship, remembrance, and duty-bound governance offered to the Lord—consistent with the Purana’s integration of dharma with yogic inner orientation.
Even while naming Vishnu explicitly, the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis frames such worship as compatible with Shaiva ideals of īśvara-bhakti and disciplined dharma; devotion to Vishnu here functions as a unifying, not sectarian, foundation for righteous rule.