Shloka 18

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

Devanagari script

स्तनद्वयं चातिकृशोदरी समं निरन्तरं चन्दनकुङ्कुमोक्षितम् । ततस्ततो नूपुरवल्गुशिञ्जितै- र्विसर्पती हेमलतेव सा बभौ ॥ १८ ॥

Transliteration

stana-dvayaṁ cātikṛśodarī samaṁ nirantaraṁ candana-kuṅkumokṣitam tatas tato nūpura-valgu śiñjitair visarpatī hema-lateva sā babhau

Translation

Her two breasts were symmetrical and beautifully set, anointed with sandal paste and dusted with kuṅkuma, and her waist was exceedingly slender. As she moved here and there, the sweet jingle of her anklebells made her appear like a golden creeper gliding along.

Synonyms

• stana-dvayam: the pair of breasts
• stana-dvayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stana (प्रातिपदिक) + dvaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (numerical: ‘pair of breasts’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ati-kṛśa-udarī: very slender-waisted
• ati-kṛśa-udarī: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (अव्यय) + kṛśa (प्रातिपदिक) + udarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (‘very slender-waisted’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), एकवचन (subject-qualifier)

• samam: evenly
• samam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbially: ‘evenly’)

• nirantaram: continuously
• nirantaram: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (‘continuously/without break’)

• candana-kuṅkuma-ukṣitam: smeared with sandal and saffron
• candana-kuṅkuma-ukṣitam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: candana (प्रातिपदिक) + kuṅkuma (प्रातिपदिक) + ukṣita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘sprinkled/smeared with sandal and saffron’); ukṣita = √ukṣ (धातु) क्त-प्रत्यय (PPP); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (qualifying stana-dvayam)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• tataḥ: again and again
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), पुनरुक्ति (repetition for emphasis: ‘again and again/at every step’)

• nūpura-valgu-śiñjitaiḥ: with sweet anklet-tinklings
• nūpura-valgu-śiñjitaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nūpura (प्रातिपदिक) + valgu (प्रातिपदिक) + śiñjita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘with the sweet tinklings of anklets’); śiñjita = √śiñj (धातु) क्त-प्रत्यय (PPP used as noun ‘tinkling’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instr.), बहुवचन

• visarpatī: moving/gliding
• visarpatī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√sṛp (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (agreeing with sā)

• hema-latā: a golden creeper
• hema-latā: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hema (प्रातिपदिक) + latā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (‘golden creeper’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• iva: like/as
• iva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-अव्यय (particle of comparison)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• babhau: shone/appeared
• babhau: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Characters & Entities

• Mohinī-mūrti (Lord Viṣṇu)
• Devas
• Asuras

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about Mohini-murti in the Samudra Manthan story?

In this verse, Śukadeva describes Mohinī’s exquisitely graceful form—symmetry, slender waist, fragrant anointments, and anklets—highlighting the Lord’s divine beauty that captivates and bewilders even powerful beings.

Why does Śukadeva Gosvami describe Mohini’s beauty in such detail?

Because Mohinī-līlā is central to how Lord Viṣṇu redirects the asuras’ attention and controls the situation during the churning episode; the vivid description explains the mechanism of divine enchantment (māyā) within the narrative.

Practical application of the Mohini-lila teaching in modern life?

The verse reminds seekers to recognize how attraction can overpower judgment; cultivating devotion, discernment, and self-restraint helps one avoid being led by mere внешняя allure and remain aligned with dharma.