Shloka 43

Viśvarūpa’s Death, Vṛtrāsura’s Manifestation, and the Devas’ Surrender to Nārāyaṇa

Devanagari script

अत एव स्वयं तदुपकल्पयास्माकं भगवत: परमगुरोस्तव चरणशतपलाशच्छायां विविधवृजिन संसारपरिश्रमोपशमनीमुपसृतानां वयं यत्कामेनोपसादिता: ॥ ४३ ॥

Transliteration

ata eva svayaṁ tad upakalpayāsmākaṁ bhagavataḥ parama-guros tava caraṇa-śata-palāśac-chāyāṁ vividha-vṛjina-saṁsāra-pariśramopaśamanīm upasṛtānāṁ vayaṁ yat-kāmenopasāditāḥ.

Translation

O allwissender Bhagavān, höchster geistlicher Lehrer! Wir haben Zuflucht im Schatten Deiner Lotosfüße gesucht, der die Mühsal und Störungen der materiellen Welt besänftigt. Du kennst unseren Beweggrund; bitte nimm unsere gegenwärtige Not hinweg und gewähre uns Unterweisung und Schutz.

Synonyms

• ataḥ: therefore
• ataḥ: Hetu (हेतु/Reason)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverbial particle (हेतौ/कारणे) = 'therefore/from this'

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), emphatic particle (निश्चयार्थक)

• svayam: personally
• svayam: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (स्वतः)

• tat: that (act/thing)
• tat: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• upakalpaya: arrange/provide
• upakalpaya: Kriya (क्रिया/Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upakalp (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 2nd person (मध्यम), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• asmākam: of us
• asmākam: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• bhagavataḥ: of the Lord
• bhagavataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• parama-guroḥ: of the supreme teacher
• parama-guroḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular; compound = 'supreme guru'

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• caraṇa-śata-palāśa-chāyām: the shade of (your) lotus-feet like a hundred palāśa leaves
• caraṇa-śata-palāśa-chāyām: Karma (कर्म/Object; goal of approach)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक) + palāśa (प्रातिपदिक) + chāyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; compound: 'shade (chāyā) of palāśa-like hundred feet' (बहुपद-तत्पुरुष)

• vividha-vṛjina-saṁsāra-pariśrama-upaśamanīm: which relieves the fatigue of worldly existence full of various troubles
• vividha-vṛjina-saṁsāra-pariśrama-upaśamanīm: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vividha (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛjina (प्रातिपदिक) + saṁsāra (प्रातिपदिक) + pariśrama (प्रातिपदिक) + upaśamanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; agrees with chāyām; compound sense: 'that which pacifies the toil of saṁsāra with various miseries'

• upasṛtānām: of (us) who have approached
• upasṛtānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; genitive of the group)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-sṛ (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (कृत्: क्त), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural; 'of those who have approached'

• vayam: we
• vayam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• yat-kāmena: by that desire/with that intention
• yat-kāmena: Karana (करण/Instrument or motive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; compound: 'by that desire/for that purpose'

• upasāditāḥ: (we) have come near/been brought near
• upasāditāḥ: Karta (कर्ता; experiencer as subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-sad (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (कृत्: क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; predicative with vayam

Purport

One need only seek shelter of the shade of the Lord’s lotus feet. Then all the material tribulations that disturb him will be subdued, just as when one comes under the shadow of a big tree, the disturbances caused by the heat of the scorching sun are immediately mitigated, without one’s asking for relief. Therefore the whole concern of the conditioned soul should be the lotus feet of the Lord. The conditioned soul suffering from various tribulations because of existing in this material world can be relieved only when he seeks shelter at the Lord’s lotus feet.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about taking shelter of the lotus feet of Vishnu?

This verse says the Lord’s lotus feet are a cooling “shade” that pacifies the varied miseries and exhaustion of saṁsāra; devotees approach Him seeking that shelter above all else.

Why did Indra and the demigods pray like this to Lord Vishnu in Canto 6 Chapter 9?

Facing an overwhelming crisis in the Vṛtrāsura episode, they acknowledge their dependence and ask Viṣṇu, the supreme master, to personally arrange the right solution, taking refuge at His feet.

How can I apply this teaching of surrender in modern life?

Consciously place your anxieties and outcomes in the Lord’s hands, keep steady devotional practice (hearing, chanting, prayer), and seek decisions that align with dharma rather than fear or ego.