Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 18

Viṣṇupadī Gaṅgā: Descent, Cosmic Pathways, and Śiva’s Praise of Saṅkarṣaṇa

Devanagari script

भजे भजन्यारणपादपङ्कजंभगस्य कृत्‍स्‍नस्य परं परायणम् । भक्तेष्वलं भावितभूतभावनंभवापहं त्वा भवभावमीश्वरम् ॥ १८ ॥

Transliteration

bhaje bhajanyāraṇa-pāda-paṅkajaṁ bhagasya kṛtsnasya paraṁ parāyaṇam bhakteṣv alaṁ bhāvita-bhūta-bhāvanaṁ bhavāpahaṁ tvā bhava-bhāvam īśvaram

Translation

O my Lord, You are the only worshipable person, for You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the reservoir of all opulences. Your secure lotus feet are the only source of protection for all Your devotees, whom You satisfy by manifesting Yourself in various forms. O my Lord, You deliver Your devotees from the clutches of material existence. Nondevotees, however, remain entangled in material existence by Your will. Kindly accept me as Your eternal servant.

Synonyms

• bhaje: I worship
• bhaje: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhaj (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Uttama-puruṣa (1st person), Ekavacana, ātmanepada

• bhajanīya-araṇa-pāda-paṅkajam: the lotus of (Your) feet, the worship-worthy refuge
• bhajanīya-araṇa-pāda-paṅkajam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhajanīya (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + araṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + paṅkaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṁsaka (neuter), Dvitīyā vibhakti (Accusative/2nd), Ekavacana; samāsa: (bhajanīyaḥ) araṇaḥ (refuge) + pāda-paṅkaja (lotus-feet) → ‘the lotus of the feet which are the refuge worthy of worship’

• bhagasya: of opulence/fortune
• bhagasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Genitive/6th), Ekavacana

• kṛtsnasya: entire, complete
• kṛtsnasya: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛtsna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive/6th), Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of bhagasya

• param: supreme
• param: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṁsaka, Dvitīyā (Accusative/2nd), Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of parāyaṇam

• parāyaṇam: the ultimate refuge/goal
• parāyaṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṁsaka, Dvitīyā (Accusative/2nd), Ekavacana; apposition to object of bhaje

• bhakteṣu: among the devotees
• bhakteṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Saptamī vibhakti (Locative/7th), Bahuvacana (plural)

• alam: indeed, fully
• alam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: alam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; intensifier/particle meaning ‘enough/indeed/fully’

• bhāvita-bhūta-bhāvanam: the nourisher of beings, well contemplated
• bhāvita-bhūta-bhāvanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāvita (कृदन्त, √bhū/√bhāv) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṁsaka, Dvitīyā (Accusative/2nd), Ekavacana; samāsa: bhūtānāṁ bhāvanaḥ (nourisher of beings) with bhāvita- (well-conceived/meditated upon)

• bhava-apaham: remover of saṁsāra
• bhava-apaham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhava (प्रातिपदिक) + apaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṁsaka, Dvitīyā (Accusative/2nd), Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: bhavasya apahaḥ (remover of worldly existence)

• tvā: You
• tvā: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Sarvanāma (pronoun), Dvitīyā (Accusative/2nd), Ekavacana

• bhava-bhāvam: the essence/cause of becoming
• bhava-bhāvam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhava + bhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā (Accusative/2nd), Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: bhavasya bhāvaḥ (the very nature/essence of existence; or the cause of becoming)

• īśvaram: the Lord
• īśvaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā (Accusative/2nd), Ekavacana; in apposition to tvā

FAQs

What does Srimad Bhagavatam 5.17.18 say about the lotus feet of the Lord?

It declares the Lord’s lotus feet to be the supreme refuge (parāyaṇa) and the most worshipable shelter, capable of freeing one from material existence.

Who is speaking this verse in Bhagavatam 5.17.18 and to whom is it addressed?

Śukadeva Gosvāmī presents this as a devotional prayer addressed to the Supreme Lord (Īśvara), emphasizing His shelter and liberating power.

How can I apply the teaching of ‘bhavāpaham’ (destroyer of material existence) in modern life?

By making sincere devotion (bhakti)—especially remembrance and worship of the Lord’s lotus feet—your primary refuge, reducing dependence on temporary identities and anxieties.