The works of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya

Viṣṇusahasranāmastotram

Verse 406

र्विधाता कृतलक्षणः ॥ ६४ ॥धर्मं गोपयतीति धर्मगुप्, 'धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय संभवामि युगे युगे' इति भगवद्वचनात् ।धर्माधर्मविहीनोऽपि धर्ममर्यादास्थापनार्थं धर्ममेव करोतीति धर्मकृत् ।धर्मान् धारयतीति धर्मी ।अवितथं परं ब्रह्म सत्, 'सदेव सोम्येदम्' इति श्रुतेः ।अपरं ब्रह्म असत्, 'वाचारम्भणं विकारो नामधेयम्' इति श्रुतेः ।सर्वाणि भूतानि क्षरम् ।कूटस्थः अक्षरम्, 'द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च ।क्षरः सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थोऽक्षर उच्यते' इति भगवद्वचनात् ।आत्मनि कर्तृत्वादिविकल्पविज्ञानं कल्पितमिति तद्वासनावगुण्ठितो जीवो विज्ञाता, तद्विलक्षणो

In plain words

Dharmagup is one who guards righteousness, fulfilling His promise in the Gītā: 'To uphold dharma, I manifest in age after age.' Dharmakṛt is He who enacts righteous order to preserve social boundaries, though He transcends merit and demerit. Dharmī is the sustainer of all laws. Sat is the unfailing supreme Brahman, known from the scripture 'In the beginning, dear one, was Sat alone.' Asat is the conditioned Brahman, described by the text 'All transformation is merely a verbal handle.' All beings form the mutable Kṣara, while the changeless spirit is Akṣara. The empirical knower is the individual soul, veiled by the subtle impressions of agency, but Viṣṇu is utterly distinct from that knower.

Close to the Sanskrit

Vidhātā, Kṛtalakṣaṇa; Dharmagup because he protects dharma, from the divine utterance 'To establish dharma I am born in every age'; Dharmakṛt because even though free from virtue and vice, he performs dharma itself to establish moral boundaries; Dharmī because he upholds dharmas; Sat is the unfailing supreme Brahman, from the text 'In the beginning, my dear, this was existent'; Asat is the lower Brahman, from the text 'Speech modification is name only'; Kṣaram is all beings; Akṣaram is Kūṭastha, from the divine text 'There are two persons in the world...'; Vijñātā is the jīva shrouded by latent impressions of agency, and Viṣṇu is distinct from that...