Shloka 47

Dhruva’s Humiliation, Sunīti’s Counsel, and Nārada’s Bhakti-Yoga Instruction

Devanagari script

श्रीवत्साङ्कं घनश्यामं पुरुषं वनमालिनम् । शङ्खचक्रगदापद्मैरभिव्यक्तचतुर्भुजम् ॥ ४७ ॥

Transliteration

śrīvatsāṅkaṁ ghana-śyāmaṁ puruṣaṁ vana-mālinam śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-padmair abhivyakta-caturbhujam

Translation

The Lord bears upon His chest the mark of Śrīvatsa, and His hue is deep bluish like a raincloud. He is the Supreme Person, adorned with a forest garland, and He eternally manifests four arms holding the conchshell, the disc, the club, and the lotus.

Synonyms

• श्रीवत्स-अङ्कम्: marked with the Śrīvatsa sign
• श्रीवत्स-अङ्कम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रीवत्स + अङ्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुषः (श्रीवत्सेन अङ्कितम्/अङ्कः यस्य)

• घन-श्यामम्: dark like a raincloud
• घन-श्यामम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घन + श्याम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण; कर्मधारयः (घन इव श्यामः)

• पुरुषम्: the Person (Supreme Person)
• पुरुषम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• वन-मालिनम्: wearing a forest-garland
• वन-मालिनम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वन + मालिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (पुरुषम्); तत्पुरुषः (वनपुष्पमाला यस्य)

• शङ्ख-चक्र-गदा-पद्मैः: with conch, discus, mace, and lotus
• शङ्ख-चक्र-गदा-पद्मैः: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्ख + चक्र + गदा + पद्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः

• अभिव्यक्त-चतुर्भुजम्: with manifest four arms
• अभिव्यक्त-चतुर्भुजम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभि-व्यक्त (कृदन्त, क्त) + चतुर्भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण; कर्मधारयः (अभिव्यक्ताः चत्वारः भुजाः यस्य)

Purport

Here in this verse the word puruṣam is very significant. The Lord is never female. He is always male ( puruṣa ). Therefore the impersonalist who imagines the Lord’s form as that of a woman is mistaken. The Lord appears in female form if necessary, but His perpetual form is puruṣa because He is originally male. The feminine feature of the Lord is displayed by goddesses of fortune — Lakṣmī, Rādhārāṇī, Sītā, etc. All these goddesses of fortune are servitors of the Lord; they are not the Supreme, as falsely imagined by the impersonalist. Lord Kṛṣṇa in His Nārāyaṇa feature is always four handed. On the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, when Arjuna wanted to see His universal form, He showed this feature of four-handed Nārāyaṇa. Some devotees are of the opinion that Kṛṣṇa is an incarnation of Nārāyaṇa, but the Bhāgavata school says that Nārāyaṇa is a manifestation of Kṛṣṇa.

Characters & Entities

• Dhruva
• Bhagavān (Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about seeing Lord Vishnu (darshan) through bhakti?

This verse describes the devotee’s direct vision of the Supreme Person—His recognizable divine form with Śrīvatsa and the four emblems—showing that sincere bhakti culminates in personal realization of Bhagavān.

Why is Lord Vishnu described with Śrīvatsa and the conch, disc, mace, and lotus?

These are traditional identifiers of Nārāyaṇa/Viṣṇu, emphasizing that the Lord Dhruva saw was the Supreme Person Himself, fully manifest in His eternal, four-armed form.

Practical application of Dhruva’s vision in modern life?

Keep a steady devotional practice focused on the Lord’s form and qualities; consistent remembrance and worship purify the mind so spiritual perception becomes clearer over time.