Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 16

Kṛṣṇa Enters Mathurā: City Splendor, Devotees’ Reception, and the Washerman’s Fate

Devanagari script

देवदेव जगन्नाथ पुण्यश्रवणकीर्तन । यदूत्तमोत्तम:श्लोक नारायण नमोऽस्तु ते ॥ १६ ॥

Transliteration

deva-deva jagan-nātha puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtana yadūttamottamaḥ-śloka nārāyaṇa namo ’stu te

Translation

O Lord of lords, master of the universe, O You whose glories it is most pious to hear and chant! O best of the Yadus, O You whose fame is recounted in excellent poetry! O Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa, I offer You my obeisances.

Synonyms

• देव-देव: O God of gods
• देव-देव: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘देवानां देवः’ (Lord of gods)

• जगत्-नाथ: O Lord of the universe
• जगत्-नाथ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जगतः नाथः)

• पुण्य-श्रवण-कीर्तन: O whose hearing and chanting are meritorious
• पुण्य-श्रवण-कीर्तन: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रवण (प्रातिपदिक) + कीर्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; द्वन्द्वः (श्रवणं च कीर्तनं च) विशेषणपूर्वकः ‘पुण्य’

• यदु-उत्तम-उत्तमः-श्लोक: O best of the Yadus, O praised by the best hymns
• यदु-उत्तम-उत्तमः-श्लोक: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यदु (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तमःश्लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः: ‘यदूनाम् उत्तमः’ + ‘उत्तमः श्लोकः यस्य/उत्तमश्लोक’ (परम्परानाम)

• नारायण: O Nārāyaṇa
• नारायण: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/उक्ति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक (interjection)

• अस्तु: let there be
• अस्तु: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (Dative/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; ‘तुभ्यम्/ते’

Characters & Entities

• Nārāyaṇa (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)
• Yadus

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the power of hearing and chanting (śravaṇa-kīrtana)?

This verse declares that hearing and chanting the Lord’s glories are inherently purifying (puṇya), establishing śravaṇa and kīrtana as foundational practices of bhakti.

Why did Akrūra offer obeisances to Nārāyaṇa in Canto 10 Chapter 41?

As Akrūra journeys to bring Kṛṣṇa to Mathurā, he beholds the Lord’s divinity and offers reverential prayers, addressing Kṛṣṇa as Nārāyaṇa and Uttamaśloka.

How can I apply śravaṇa and kīrtana in modern life according to this shloka?

Regularly listen to and recite the Lord’s names, stories, and prayers—through reading, kīrtana, or audio discourses—since the verse emphasizes their direct purifying effect.