Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 11

Kriyā-yoga, the Virāṭ-Puruṣa Mapping, and the Sun-God’s Monthly Expansions

Devanagari script

स्वमायां वनमालाख्यां नानागुणमयीं दधत् । वासश्छन्दोमयं पीतं ब्रह्मसूत्रं त्रिवृत् स्वरम् ॥ ११ ॥ बिभर्ति साङ्ख्यं योगं च देवो मकरकुण्डले । मौलिं पदं पारमेष्ठ्यं सर्वलोकाभयङ्करम् ॥ १२ ॥

Transliteration

sva-māyāṁ vana-mālākhyāṁ nānā-guṇa-mayīṁ dadhat vāsaś chando-mayaṁ pītaṁ brahma-sūtraṁ tri-vṛt svaram

Translation

His flower garland is His material energy, comprising various combinations of the modes of nature. His yellow garment is the Vedic meters, and His sacred thread the syllable om composed of three sounds. In the form of His two shark-shaped earrings, the Lord carries the processes of Sāṅkhya and yoga, and His crown, bestowing fearlessness on the inhabitants of all the worlds, is the supreme position of Brahmaloka.

Synonyms

• स्व-मायाम्: His own māyā
• स्व-मायाम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्वस्य माया) — Accusative singular

• वन-माला-आख्याम्: called ‘Vana-mālā’ (forest-garland)
• वन-माला-आख्याम्: विशेषण (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक) + माला (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि/तत्पुरुष-भावे ‘वनमाला-आख्या’ = ‘named/known as forest-garland’ — agreeing with ‘मायाम्’

• नाना-गुण-मयीम्: consisting of many qualities
• नाना-गुण-मयीम्: विशेषण (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + मयी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नानागुणैः मयी) — ‘consisting of many qualities’, agreeing with ‘मायाम्’

• दधत्: bearing, wearing
• दधत्: कर्ता (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √धा (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘bearing/holding’ (refers to the Lord)

• वासः: garment
• वासः: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• छन्दः-मयम्: made of the Vedas/metres (chandas)
• छन्दः-मयम्: विशेषण (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छन्दस् (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (छन्दोभिः मयम्) — agreeing with ‘वासः’

• पीतम्: yellow
• पीतम्: विशेषण (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √पा (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘yellow’, agreeing with ‘वासः’

• ब्रह्म-सूत्रम्: the sacred thread (brahma-sūtra)
• ब्रह्म-सूत्रम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + सूत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः सूत्रम्) — Accusative singular

• त्रि-वृत्: threefold
• त्रि-वृत्: विशेषण (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + √वृत् (धातु)
• Form: संख्यापूर्वक-समास (द्विगु) ‘त्रिवृत्’ = ‘threefold/three-stranded’; अव्ययवत्/विशेषणरूपेण — qualifying ‘स्वरम्’

• स्वरम्: tone, sound
• स्वरम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavān (Śrī Hari/Nārāyaṇa)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the Vaijayanti garland of Lord Vishnu?

In this verse, the Lord’s garland is identified with His own māyā—His divine potency—described as filled with countless qualities, indicating His supremacy and the richness of His manifested energies.

Why does Śukadeva Gosvāmī describe the Lord’s clothes as Vedic meters?

Śukadeva presents the Lord as the living essence of the Vedas: even His garments and ornaments are symbolic of Vedic reality, showing that revelation (śruti) ultimately points to Bhagavān.

Practical application of this teaching in modern life?

See sacred meaning behind daily life: cultivate devotion by recognizing the Divine as the source of all qualities, knowledge, and sacred sound—then align speech, study, and conduct with that remembrance.