Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 19
Yayāti’s Vaiṣṇava Rule and the Earth Made Like Vaikuṇṭha
with Viṣṇu Name-Invocation
उपकाररताः पुण्या धन्यास्ते कीर्तिभाजनाः । सर्वे धर्मपरा विप्र विष्णुध्यानपरायणाः
upakāraratāḥ puṇyā dhanyāste kīrtibhājanāḥ | sarve dharmaparā vipra viṣṇudhyānaparāyaṇāḥ
جو لوگ دوسروں کی بھلائی میں لذت پاتے ہیں وہ نیک، مبارک اور دائمی شہرت کے سزاوار ہیں۔ اے برہمن، وہ سب دھرم کے پابند اور وشنو کے دھیان میں یکسو رہتے ہیں۔
Unspecified (context-dependent within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa 2.75)
Concept: True blessedness and lasting fame arise from serving others and anchoring the mind in Viṣṇu while remaining steadfast in dharma.
Application: Make ‘upakāra’ a daily vow: one concrete act of help, one period of Vishnu-smaraṇa/meditation, and one dharmic restraint.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: city
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A compassionate community scene unfolds: people offer water, food, and shelter to travelers and the poor, while a group of brāhmaṇas and householders sit facing a small Vishnu shrine, eyes closed in steady meditation. Above the shrine, a subtle vision of Viṣṇu’s śaṅkha-cakra radiance appears like a blessing on their service.","primary_figures":["Beneficent householders","Brāhmaṇa interlocutor (vipra)","Meditators","Vishnu symbol/vision (śaṅkha-cakra aura)"],"setting":"Roadside charity pavilion near a small Vishnu temple; trees and a calm village edge.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["deep indigo","lamp gold","terracotta","tulsi green","pearl white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: roadside anna-dāna pavilion beside a Vishnu shrine, donors serving food and water, meditators seated with folded hands, Vishnu’s śaṅkha-cakra aura rendered with gold leaf, rich reds/greens, ornate jewelry, traditional iconographic symmetry and floral borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: gentle village edge with a small shrine, delicate figures offering charity, refined faces, cool twilight tones, lyrical trees and distant hills, a faint luminous Vishnu emblem in the sky, fine brushwork and soft gradients.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, narrative tiers showing charity and meditation, Vishnu emblematic presence above the shrine, strong reds/yellows/greens with black contouring, temple-wall composition and stylized eyes.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Vishnu-bhakti atmosphere with ornate floral borders, lotus and creeper motifs, peacocks near the shrine, deep blue ground with gold highlights, devotional symmetry emphasizing service (seva) and remembrance (smaraṇa)."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["handbell","low mridangam","soft chanting of Vishnu names","night insects","gentle footsteps of pilgrims"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: धन्यास्ते = धन्याः + ते
FAQs
It praises upakāra—actively helping others—as a source of merit (puṇya), blessedness (dhanya), and enduring good reputation (kīrti).
It links dharma-centered conduct with Vaiṣṇava practice by describing the virtuous as both dharma-parāḥ (devoted to righteousness) and viṣṇu-dhyāna-parāyaṇāḥ (absorbed in meditation on Viṣṇu).
Cultivate a life of service to others alongside steadfast moral discipline, and anchor one’s inner life in remembrance/meditation of Viṣṇu.