Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 24

Lakṣmī’s Emergence, Dhanvantari, and the Advent of Mohinī-mūrti

Devanagari script

तस्यांसदेश उशतीं नवकञ्जमालां माद्यन्मधुव्रतवरूथगिरोपघुष्टाम् । तस्थौ निधाय निकटे तदुर: स्वधाम सव्रीडहासविकसन्नयनेन याता ॥ २४ ॥

Transliteration

tasyāṁsa-deśa uśatīṁ nava-kañja-mālāṁ mādyan-madhuvrata-varūtha-giropaghuṣṭām tasthau nidhāya nikaṭe tad-uraḥ sva-dhāma savrīḍa-hāsa-vikasan-nayanena yātā

Translation

Da trat die Göttin Śrī (Lakṣmī) an Bhagavān, die Höchste Persönlichkeit Gottes, heran und legte Ihm eine Girlande aus frisch erblühten Lotosblüten auf die Schultern, umschwirrt vom Summen honigsuchender Hummeln. Dann, in der Hoffnung, einen Platz an der Brust des Herrn zu erhalten, blieb sie an Seiner Seite stehen, mit scheuem Lächeln und leuchtenden Augen.

Synonyms

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-समर्थ (pronoun stem)

• aṁsa-deśe: on the shoulder-region
• aṁsa-deśe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṁsa (प्रातिपदिक) + deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (aṁsasya deśaḥ)

• uśatīm: lovely
• uśatīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uśatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying mālām)

• nava-kañja-mālām: a garland of fresh lotuses
• nava-kañja-mālām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nava (प्रातिपदिक) + kañja (प्रातिपदिक) + mālā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (nava-kañjānāṁ mālā)

• mādyat: intoxicated
• mādyat: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mad (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/śatṛ), प्रथमा-बहुवचन/समासाङ्ग (indeclinable within compound); विशेषणम् (qualifying madhuvrata-varūtha)

• madhu-vrata-varūtha-gira-upaghuṣṭām: resounded by the humming of swarms of bees
• madhu-vrata-varūtha-gira-upaghuṣṭām: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: madhuvrata (प्रातिपदिक) + varūtha (प्रातिपदिक) + gir (प्रातिपदिक) + upaghuṣṭa (घुष् धातु + उपसर्ग उप + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः; upaghuṣṭā = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘resounded’; विशेषणम् (qualifying mālām)

• tasthau: stood
• tasthau: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धाातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्ष), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• nidhāya: having placed
• nidhāya: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhā (धातु) + नि (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive); ‘having placed’

• nikaṭe: nearby
• nikaṭe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nikaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (usage as place-noun)

• tat: his
• tat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-एकवचन (Genitive) in compound with uraḥ; ‘of him’

• uraḥ: chest
• uraḥ: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन (form identical); here with nikaṭe → ‘near his chest’ (locative sense via proximity)

• sva-dhāma: her own abode
• sva-dhāma: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + dhāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘own abode’

• sa-vrīḍa-hāsa-vikasan-nayanena: with eyes opening in a shy smile
• sa-vrīḍa-hāsa-vikasan-nayanena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपपद) + vrīḍā (प्रातिपदिक) + hāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + vikasan (कस् धातु + वि + शतृ) + nayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग (nayanena); बहुव्रीहिः—‘one whose eyes are blossoming with a shy smile’; करण-सम्बन्धेन (by/with)

• yātā: she approached
• yātā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः—‘having gone/approached’ (Lakṣmī understood)

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Lakṣmī (Śrī-devī)
• Śrī Hari / Viṣṇu

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about Lakshmi choosing Vishnu?

This verse depicts Lakṣmī approaching Lord Viṣṇu, placing a lotus garland on His shoulder and looking upon His chest—showing that her natural and eternal shelter is the Lord Himself, not any temporary worldly power.

Why did Lakshmi approach the Lord’s chest in this verse?

Because Viṣṇu’s chest is described as her sva-dhāma—her own abode—indicating the inseparable relationship between the Supreme Lord and His divine fortune (Śrī), and that true prosperity rests in devotion to Him.

Practical application of this shloka in modern life?

Seek prosperity through alignment with dharma and devotion: like Lakṣmī resting with the Lord, lasting well-being comes from spiritual grounding rather than chasing unstable external success.