Shloka 26

The Lord Appears to the Devas and Instructs the Truce; Mandara Is Brought for Churning

Devanagari script

श्रीशुक उवाच इति देवान्समादिश्य भगवान् पुरुषोत्तम: । तेषामन्तर्दधे राजन्स्वच्छन्दगतिरीश्वर: ॥ २६ ॥

Transliteration

śrī-śuka uvāca iti devān samādiśya bhagavān puruṣottamaḥ teṣām antardadhe rājan svacchanda-gatir īśvaraḥ

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: O King Parīkṣit, after instructing the demigods in this way, the independent Supreme Lord, Puruṣottama, disappeared from their sight.

Synonyms

• śrī-śukaḥ: Śrī Śuka
• śrī-śukaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + śuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारयः (honorific epithet)

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

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyārtha-sūcaka (वाक्यार्थसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• devān: the gods
• devān: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• samādiśya: having instructed
• samādiśya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√diś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable), पूर्वक्रिया (prior action)

• bhagavān: the Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• puruṣottamaḥ: the Supreme Person
• puruṣottamaḥ: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण/Apposition to bhagavān)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (puruṣāṇām uttamaḥ)

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine/Neuter), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• antardadhe: disappeared (from sight)
• antardadhe: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: antar-√dhā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद (Atmanepada)

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• svacchanda-gatiḥ: whose movement is independent
• svacchanda-gatiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svacchanda (प्रातिपदिक) + gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहिः (yasya gatiḥ svacchandā saḥ) used as adjective to īśvaraḥ

• īśvaraḥ: the Lord
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Characters & Entities

• Śukadeva
• King Parīkṣit
• Bhagavān (Puruṣottama)
• Devas (demigods)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the Lord acting by His own will (svacchanda-gati)?

This verse states that the Supreme Lord is īśvaraḥ—fully independent—and moves according to His own will; after guiding the devas, He can appear or disappear as He chooses.

Why did Śukadeva Gosvāmī say that the Lord disappeared from the demigods’ sight?

In the narrative, after giving the devas essential instructions for their next steps, the Lord withdrew from direct vision, emphasizing that He guides and protects yet remains sovereign and not bound to remain manifest.

Practical application of trusting the Lord’s unseen guidance in modern life?

Do your duty with faith—seek divine instruction through śāstra and prayer—then proceed steadily even when you cannot “see” immediate results, trusting that the Lord’s guidance is not limited to visible intervention.