Shloka 26

Nārada Instructs the Pracetās: Bhakti as the Goal of All Paths

Devanagari script

श्रीशुक उवाच य एष उत्तानपदो मानवस्यानुवर्णित: । वंश: प्रियव्रतस्यापि निबोध नृपसत्तम ॥ २६ ॥

Transliteration

śrī-śuka uvāca ya eṣa uttānapado mānavasyānuvarṇitaḥ vaṁśaḥ priyavratasyāpi nibodha nṛpa-sattama

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: O best of kings, Parīkṣit, I have finished describing the line of Uttānapāda, the first son of Svāyambhuva Manu. Now I shall relate the deeds of Priyavrata’s descendants; hear with full attention.

Synonyms

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

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

• yaḥ: who/which
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; relative pronoun

• eṣaḥ: this
• eṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; demonstrative

• uttānapadaḥ: Uttānapāda
• uttānapadaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uttānapada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; proper name

• mānavasya: of Manu’s (descendant)/of the human
• mānavasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• anuvarṇitaḥ: has been described
• anuvarṇitaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu-varṇ (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (कर्मणि भूतकृदन्त/क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Singular; agrees with vaṁśaḥ

• vaṁśaḥ: dynasty/lineage
• vaṁśaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṁśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• priyavratāsya: of Priyavrata
• priyavratāsya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: priyavrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात)

• nibodha: understand/hear
• nibodha: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: budh (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 2nd Person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular, Parasmaipada; with prefix ni-

• nṛpa-sattama: O best of kings
• nṛpa-sattama: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; tatpuruṣa (श्रेष्ठः नृपाणाम्)

Purport

Dhruva Mahārāja was the son of King Uttānapāda, and as far as the descendants of Dhruva Mahārāja or King Uttānapāda are concerned, their activities have been described up to the point of the Pracetās. Now Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī desires to describe the descendants of Mahārāja Priyavrata, the second son of Svāyambhuva Manu.

Characters & Entities

• Uttānapāda
• Manu
• Priyavrata
• Parīkṣit

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the dynasty (vaṁśa) of Priyavrata?

In this verse, Śukadeva announces that after finishing Uttānapāda’s lineage, he will now narrate Priyavrata’s dynasty, continuing the Bhagavatam’s sacred genealogical history.

Why did Śukadeva Gosvāmī say this to King Parīkṣit?

Śukadeva is guiding Parīkṣit through the structured narration of royal lineages—first Uttānapāda’s, then Priyavrata’s—so the listener can understand the flow of Bhagavatam history and dharma.

What is the practical application of studying Bhagavatam genealogies in modern life?

They train the mind to see history as dharma-centered and God-connected—encouraging responsibility, humility, and devotion by remembering exemplary lives and spiritual inheritance.