Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 33

The Lord’s Apology to the Kumāras and the Fall of Jaya and Vijaya

Devanagari script

तौ तु गीर्वाणऋषभौ दुस्तराद्धरिलोकत: । हतश्रियौ ब्रह्मशापादभूतां विगतस्मयौ ॥ ३३ ॥

Transliteration

tau tu gīrvāṇa-ṛṣabhau dustarād dhari-lokataḥ hata-śriyau brahma-śāpād abhūtāṁ vigata-smayau

Translation

But those two gatekeepers, the best of the demigods, their beauty and luster diminished by the curse of the brāhmaṇas, became morose and fell from Vaikuṇṭha, the abode of the Supreme Lord.

Synonyms

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/अन्वयार्थे ‘but/indeed’

• गीर्वाण-ऋषभौ: the two foremost among the gods
• गीर्वाण-ऋषभौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गीर्वाण (प्रातिपदिक) + ऋषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘गीर्वाणानाम् (देवानाम्) ऋषभौ’

• दुस्तरात्: from the difficult-to-cross (realm)
• दुस्तरात्: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुस्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (अथवा पुं), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/अपादान), एकवचन; ‘from the hard-to-cross (place)’

• हरि-लोकतः: from Hari’s world
• हरि-लोकतः: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘हरेः लोकः’

• हत-श्रियौ: deprived of splendor
• हत-श्रियौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हत (√हन्, क्त-कृदन्त) + श्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘हता श्रीः ययोः’ (whose splendor was destroyed)

• ब्रह्म-शापात्: from Brahmā’s curse
• ब्रह्म-शापात्: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + शाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘ब्रह्मणः शापः’

• अभूताम्: became
• अभूताम्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अ√भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन; परस्मैपदम्; ‘they became’

• विगत-स्मयौ: free from pride
• विगत-स्मयौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विगत (वि√गम्, क्त-कृदन्त) + स्मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘विगतः स्मयः ययोः’ (whose pride was gone)

Characters & Entities

• Jaya
• Vijaya
• Hari (Nārāyaṇa)
• Kumāras (Four Kumāras)

FAQs

Why did Jaya and Vijaya fall from Vaikuṇṭha in Srimad Bhagavatam?

This verse states they were cast down from Hari’s abode because the brāhmaṇa sages’ curse removed their splendor, leaving them humbled and free from pride.

Who is speaking Bhagavatam 3.16.33 and what is the context?

Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates to Mahārāja Parīkṣit the episode where the Four Kumāras curse the Vaikuṇṭha gatekeepers Jaya and Vijaya, resulting in their fall from Vaikuṇṭha.

What is the practical lesson of this shloka for modern life?

Even exalted positions can be lost through offense and pride; cultivating humility and respecting saintly persons protects one’s spiritual progress.