Shloka 31

Hari’s Special Mercy, Śiva’s Quick Boons, and the Deliverance from Vṛkāsura

Devanagari script

श्रीशुक उवाच एवं भगवता पृष्टो वचसामृतवर्षिणा । गतक्लमोऽब्रवीत्तस्मै यथापूर्वमनुष्ठितम् ॥ ३१ ॥

Transliteration

śrī-śuka uvāca evaṁ bhagavatā pṛṣṭo vacasāmṛta-varṣiṇā gata-klamo ’bravīt tasmai yathā-pūrvam anuṣṭhitam

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī sprach: So von der Persönlichkeit Gottes befragt, dessen Worte wie süßer Nektar herabregneten, fühlte Vṛka, wie seine Müdigkeit wich. Dann schilderte er dem Herrn getreu alles, was er zuvor getan hatte.

Synonyms

• śrī-śukaḥ: Śrī Śuka
• śrī-śukaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī-śuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• bhagavatā: by the Lord
• bhagavatā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन)

• pṛṣṭaḥ: having been asked
• pṛṣṭaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prach (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मणि (asked)

• vacasāmṛta-varṣiṇā: by him who rains nectar-like words
• vacasāmṛta-varṣiṇā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक) + amṛta (प्रातिपदिक) + varṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन); बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः ‘amṛta of words’ + ‘raining’

• gata-klamaḥ: with fatigue gone; refreshed
• gata-klamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gata (प्रातिपदिक; क्त from √gam) + klama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); बहुव्रीहिः ‘whose fatigue is gone’

• abravīt: spoke
• abravīt: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

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

• yathā-pūrvam: as before; previously
• yathā-pūrvam: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva compound used adverbially (क्रियाविशेषण)

• anuṣṭhitam: what had been done/performed
• anuṣṭhitam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anu-ṣṭhā (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); ‘that which was performed’ (object of abravīt, i.e., he narrated what was done)

Characters & Entities

• Śukadeva
• Bhagavān (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam mean by Krishna’s words being like nectar (vacasāmṛta)?

This verse describes the Lord’s speech as “raining nectar,” indicating that hearing His words revives the heart, removes distress and fatigue, and nourishes devotion.

Why does the listener become free from fatigue after being questioned by Bhagavān?

Because contact with the Lord—especially through His enlivening words and attention—dispels exhaustion and restores clarity, enabling the person to recount events as they truly occurred.

Practical application: how can this teaching be used in modern life?

Regularly hear and reflect on Bhagavata teachings and Krishna-kathā; it brings steadiness and relief from mental fatigue, helping one respond truthfully and calmly in daily duties.