Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 35

Parīkṣit’s Final Absorption, Takṣaka’s Bite, Janamejaya’s Snake Sacrifice, and the Vedic Sound-Lineage

Devanagari script

नमो भगवते तस्मै कृष्णायाकुण्ठमेधसे । यत्पादाम्बुरुहध्यानात् संहितामध्यगामिमाम् ॥ ३५ ॥

Transliteration

namo bhagavate tasmai kṛṣṇāyākuṇṭha-medhase yat-pādāmburuha-dhyānāt saṁhitām adhyagām imām

Translation

I offer my obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the invincible Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Simply by meditating upon His lotus feet I have been able to study and appreciate this great literature.

Synonyms

• namaḥ: obeisance; salutations
• namaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), नमस्कारार्थक-निपात (salutatory particle); governs dative (चतुर्थी) in usage

• bhagavate: to the Blessed Lord
• bhagavate: Sampradana (सम्प्रदानम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular)

• tasmai: to him
• tasmai: Sampradana (सम्प्रदानम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• kṛṣṇāya: to Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदानम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular)

• akuṇṭha-medhase: to (him) of unfailing intelligence
• akuṇṭha-medhase: Sampradana (सम्प्रदानम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-kuṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + medhas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय-समासः (Karmadhāraya): ‘अकुण्ठा मेधा यस्य/यत्र’ → ‘unfailing intellect’

• yat: whose
• yat: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), षष्ठी-सम्बन्धे (genitival relation in compound), एकवचन (Singular); relative pronoun used in compound

• pāda-amburuha-dhyānāt: from meditation on (his) lotus-feet
• pāda-amburuha-dhyānāt: Apadana (अपादानम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + amburuha (प्रातिपदिक) + dhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष-समासः (Tatpuruṣa): ‘पादाम्बुरुहस्य ध्यानम्’ → ‘meditation on the lotus-feet’

• saṁhitām: the compendium; the Saṁhitā
• saṁhitām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṁhitā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• adhyagām: I studied/attained
• adhyagām: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: adhi-√gam (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular); उपसर्गः adhi-; अर्थः ‘अध्यगच्छम्’ (I studied/attained)

• imām: this
• imām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (demonstrative) qualifying ‘saṁhitām’

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about understanding scripture through devotion?

This verse states that true comprehension of the Bhāgavatam arises from meditation on Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet—devotion becomes the doorway to spiritual knowledge.

Why does Suta Gosvami offer obeisances to Krishna in this verse?

Sūta acknowledges Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord with unobstructed wisdom and credits meditation on Him as the cause of his ability to grasp and transmit the Bhāgavatam.

Practical application of meditating on Krishna’s lotus feet in modern life?

Daily remembrance—through japa, kīrtana, and focused contemplation on Kṛṣṇa’s feet—can steady the mind and deepen one’s understanding of sacred teachings.