Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 45

Bhakti as the Easy and Supreme Yoga: Seeing Kṛṣṇa in All and Uddhava’s Departure to Badarikāśrama

Devanagari script

श्रीशुक उवाच स एवमुक्तो हरिमेधसोद्धव: प्रदक्षिणं तं परिसृत्य पादयो: । शिरो निधायाश्रुकलाभिरार्द्रधी- र्न्यषिञ्चदद्वन्द्वपरोऽप्यपक्रमे ॥ ४५ ॥

Transliteration

śrī-śuka uvāca sa evam ukto hari-medhasoddhavaḥ pradakṣiṇaṁ taṁ parisṛtya pādayoḥ śiro nidhāyāśru-kalābhir ārdra-dhīr nyaṣiñcad advandva-paro ’py apakrame

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus addressed by Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose intelligence destroys all the suffering of material life, Śrī Uddhava circumambulated the Lord and then fell down, placing his head upon the Lord’s feet. Although Uddhava was free from the influence of all material dualities, his heart was breaking, and at this time of departure he drenched the Lord’s lotus feet with his tears.

Synonyms

• śrī-śukaḥ: Śrī Śuka
• śrī-śukaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) — speaker
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + śuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; honorific karmadhāraya

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया) — main verb of narration
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु; वच् भाषणे)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (perfect), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता) — subject of uktaḥ/nyaṣiñcat
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; pronoun

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (kriyā-viśeṣaṇa)

• uktaḥ: having been addressed
• uktaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) — predicate adjective to saḥ
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ukta (कृदन्त; √vac धातु)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; Kta-participle (क्त), passive sense ‘having been spoken to’

• hari-medhasa-uddhavaḥ: Uddhava of Hari-focused intellect
• hari-medhasa-uddhavaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) — apposition to saḥ
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari-medhas (प्रातिपदिक) + uddhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya/epithet: ‘Uddhava whose intellect is (fixed on) Hari’

• pradakṣiṇam: circumambulating (to the right)
• pradakṣiṇam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pradakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa-avyaya (adverbial accusative) meaning ‘keeping to the right’

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (कर्म) — object of parisṛtya/pradakṣiṇam (circumambulating him)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti (acc, 2nd), Ekavacana

• parisṛtya: having circumambulated
• parisṛtya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sṛ (धातु; सृ गतौ) with pari-
• Form: Absolutive (ktvā/ल्यप्), ‘having gone around’

• pādayoḥ: of (his) two feet
• pādayoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध) — ‘of the feet’
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (gen, 6th), Dvivacana (du)

• śiraḥ: (his) head
• śiraḥ: Karma (कर्म) — object of nidhāya
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga (neut), Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• nidhāya: having placed
• nidhāya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhā (धातु; धा धारणे) with ni-
• Form: Absolutive (ktvā/ल्यप्), ‘having placed’

• aśru-kalābhiḥ: with tear-drops
• aśru-kalābhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण) — instrument
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśru (प्रातिपदिक) + kalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Tṛtīyā vibhakti, Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa ‘with drops/particles of tears’

• ārdra-dhīḥ: with a softened (tearful) mind
• ārdra-dhīḥ: Karta (कर्ता) — subject of nyaṣiñcat
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ārdra (प्रातिपदिक) + dhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya ‘one whose mind is moist/soft (with emotion)’

• nyaṣiñcat: sprinkled/poured
• nyaṣiñcat: Kriyā (क्रिया) — main action
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sic (धातु; सिच् सिञ्चने) with ni-
• Form: Laṅ-lakāra (imperfect), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• advandva-paraḥ: devoted to non-duality
• advandva-paraḥ: Karta (कर्ता) — appositional qualifier of ārdra-dhīḥ/saḥ
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-dvandva (प्रातिपदिक) + para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa ‘intent on non-duality’

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध) — particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta (particle) ‘also/even’

• apakrame: at (his) departure
• apakrame: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण) — time/occasion locus
• Type: Noun
• Root: apakram(a) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Saptamī vibhakti, Ekavacana; ‘at the departure’

Characters & Entities

• Uddhava
• Śrī Hari (Kṛṣṇa)

FAQs

What does Srimad Bhagavatam 11.29.45 teach about devotion at Krishna’s lotus feet?

It shows bhakti expressed through humility and surrender—circumambulating the Lord, bowing at His feet, and offering one’s heart in tears, even while remaining spiritually steady.

Why did Uddhava circumambulate Krishna and place his head on His feet?

Because Krishna had concluded His intimate instructions to Uddhava; Uddhava responded with traditional devotional honor (pradakṣiṇa and praṇāma) and heartfelt surrender at the moment of separation.

How can “equanimity” (advandva) coexist with tears and emotion in bhakti?

Advandva means freedom from material dualities like selfish joy and sorrow, not the absence of devotional feeling; tears here arise from pure love and reverence, not worldly attachment.