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Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 1

Akrūra’s Prayers (Akrūra-stuti): The Lord as Cause of Causes, Virāṭ, and the Goal of All Paths

Devanagari script

श्रीअक्रूर उवाच नतोऽस्म्यहं त्वाखिलहेतुहेतुं नारायणं पूरुषमाद्यमव्ययम् । यन्नाभिजातादरविन्दकोषाद् ब्रह्माविरासीद् यत एष लोक: ॥ १ ॥

Transliteration

śrī-akrūra uvāca nato ’smy ahaṁ tvākhila-hetu-hetuṁ nārāyaṇaṁ pūruṣam ādyam avyayam yan-nābhi-jātād aravinda-koṣād brahmāvirāsīd yata eṣa lokaḥ

Translation

Śrī Akrūra said: I bow down to You, the cause of all causes, the original and inexhaustible Supreme Person, Nārāyaṇa. From the whorl of the lotus born from Your navel, Brahmā appeared, and by his agency this universe has come into being.

Synonyms
श्री-अक्रूरःŚrī Akrūra
श्री-अक्रूरः:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootश्री (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्रूर (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: ‘venerable Akrūra’ (speaker)
उवाचsaid
उवाच:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootवच् (धातु)
Formलिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √वच् ‘said’
नतःbowed
नतः:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeAdjective
Rootनत (प्रातिपदिक; √नम् धातु से क्त)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘bowed’
अस्मिam
अस्मि:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootअस् (धातु)
Formलट् (Present), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन; ‘I am’
अहम्I
अहम्:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootअहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘I’
त्वाyou
त्वा:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootयुष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम, द्वितीया, एकवचन; enclitic form; ‘you’ (object of salutation/praise)
अखिल-हेतु-हेतुम्the cause of all causes
अखिल-हेतु-हेतुम्:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootअखिल (प्रातिपदिक) + हेतु (प्रातिपदिक) + हेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘cause of (all) causes’ (hetūnām hetuḥ)
नारायणम्Nārāyaṇa
नारायणम्:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootनारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
पूरुषम्the Person
पूरुषम्:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootपूरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
आद्यम्primeval
आद्यम्:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootआद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; पूरुषम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्
अव्ययम्imperishable
अव्ययम्:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootअव्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘imperishable’
यत्from which
यत्:
Apādāna (अपादान)
TypeNoun
Rootयद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; relative pronoun ‘from which/whence’ (correlative with यतः)
नाभि-जातात्from (the lotus) born from the navel
नाभि-जातात्:
Apādāna (अपादान)
TypeNoun
Rootनाभि (प्रातिपदिक) + जात (√जन् धातु से क्त)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘from (that which is) born from the navel’
अरविन्द-कोषात्from the lotus-bud
अरविन्द-कोषात्:
Apādāna (अपादान)
TypeNoun
Rootअरविन्द (प्रातिपदिक) + कोष (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘from the lotus-bud/calyx’
ब्रह्माBrahmā
ब्रह्मा:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootब्रह्मन्/ब्रह्मा (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; subject of अविरासीत्
अविरासीत्appeared
अविरासीत्:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootअवि-√रा/√रास् (धातु; ‘to appear’)
Formलङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘appeared/arose’
यतःfrom whom
यतः:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formअव्यय (relative adverb) ‘from whom/whence’; correlates with यत्
एषःthis
एषः:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeNoun
Rootएतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘this’
लोकःworld
लोकः:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
Characters & Entities
A
Akrura
N
Narayana
B
Brahma

FAQs

In this verse Akrura addresses the Lord as “akhila-hetu-hetu,” affirming that the Supreme Person (Nārāyaṇa) is the ultimate source behind all secondary causes in creation.

Akrura, overwhelmed by devotion upon meeting the Lord, begins his prayers by glorifying Krishna/Nārāyaṇa’s supreme position as the origin of Brahmā and the universe.

It teaches humility and God-centered thinking: begin actions with reverence, and remember a higher source behind life’s outcomes, which steadies the mind and deepens devotion.

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