विष्णुर्द्विजक्रियामूलो यज्ञो धर्ममय: पुमान् । देवर्षिपितृभूतानां धर्मस्य च परायणम् ॥ ११ ॥
visnur dvija-kriya-mulo yajno dharmamayah puman devarsi-pitr-bhutanam dharmasya ca parayanam
- visnuh
- Lord Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- dvija
- of the brahmanas and ksatriyas
- kriya-mulah
- whose root is the performance of yajna and the ritualistic ceremonies mentioned in the Vedas
- yajnah
- personified yajna (Lord Visnu, who is known as the yajna-purusa)
- dharma-mayah
- full of religious principles
- puman
- the Supreme Person
- deva-rsi
- of the demigods and great rsis like Vyasadeva and Narada
- pitr
- of the forefathers
- bhutanam
- and of all other living entities
- dharmasya
- of the religious principles
- ca
- also
- parayanam
- the shelter
The basic principle of brahminical culture is to satisfy Lord Visnu, the personification of sacrificial and ritualistic ceremonies. Lord Visnu is the personified reservoir of all religious principles, and He is the shelter of all the demigods, the great pitas, and the people in general. When the brahmanas are killed, no one will exist to encourage the ksatriyas to perform yajnas, and thus the demigods, not being appeased by yajna, will automatically die.