Shloka 28

Bhakti-māhātmya: The Marks of the Vaiṣṇava and the Liberating Power of Exclusive Devotion

Devanagari script

धर्मार्थकामः किं तस्य मुक्तिस्तस्य करे स्थिता / समस्तजगतां मूलं यस्य भक्तिः स्थिरा हरौ

Transliteration

dharmārthakāmaḥ kiṃ tasya muktistasya kare sthitā / samastajagatāṃ mūlaṃ yasya bhaktiḥ sthirā harau

Translation

ผู้ใดมีภักติมั่นคงในพระหริ แล้วธรรมะ อรรถะ กามะจะจำเป็นไฉน? โมกษะอยู่ในฝ่ามือของเขา เพราะภักติเช่นนั้นเป็นรากแห่งสรรพโลกทั้งปวง.

Word by Word

• धर्मार्थकामः: dharma, artha and kāma (the three aims)
• धर्मार्थकामः: Karta (Topic/subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (समाहार/एकवचन-प्रयोग): धर्म+अर्थ+काम

• किम्: what (use)
• किम्: Karman (Predicate interrogative/कर्म-प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• तस्य: for him; of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• मुक्तिः: liberation
• मुक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तस्य: his
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• करे: in (his) hand
• करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• स्थितā: situated; present
• स्थितā: Karta (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + त (क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘स्थितā’ agrees with ‘मुक्तिः’

• समस्तजगताम्: of all worlds; of the entire universe
• समस्तजगताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समस्त (प्रातिपदिक) + जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग ‘जगत्’ (collective), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘समस्तं जगत्’ → ‘समस्तजगत्’ (of the entire world[s])

• मूलम्: root; source
• मूलम्: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Relative genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative pronoun)

• भक्तिः: devotion
• भक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्थिरा: steady; firm
• स्थिरा: Karta (Adjectival to subject/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘भक्तिः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• हरौ: in Hari (Vishnu)
• हरौ: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Steady devotion to Hari renders the pursuit of dharma, artha, kāma secondary; mokṣa becomes readily attainable because bhakti is the cosmic root.

Vedantic Theme: Purushārtha hierarchy with mokṣa as paramapuruṣārtha; bhakti as direct means and as the sustaining principle of the cosmos (adhiṣṭhāna).

Application: Reorder life goals: keep livelihood and duties, but anchor identity in steady devotion; practice daily remembrance so that liberation-oriented discernment grows naturally.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: bhakti praised as superior to ritual and worldly aims; mokṣa through Vishnu-smaraṇa (various sections)

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of bhakti in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents steady devotion to Hari as the supreme principle: it supersedes ordinary aims like dharma, wealth, and pleasure because it directly leads to liberation.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

It emphasizes that unwavering devotion to Vishnu is a direct means to moksha, implying release from the cycle of rebirth rather than continued movement through post-death realms.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Prioritize consistent devotional practice—remembrance, worship, ethical living aligned with Vishnu’s virtues—so that life’s goals are integrated under a liberation-oriented focus.