Shloka 21

The Prayers of the Personified Vedas (Śruti-stuti) and the Indescribable Absolute

Devanagari script

दुरवगमात्मतत्त्वनिगमाय तवात्ततनो- श्चरितमहामृताब्धिपरिवर्तपरिश्रमणा: । न परिलषन्ति केचिदपवर्गमपीश्वर ते चरणसरोजहंसकुलसङ्गविसृष्टगृहा: ॥ २१ ॥

Transliteration

duravagamātma-tattva-nigamāya tavātta-tanoś carita-mahāmṛtābdhi-parivarta-pariśramaṇāḥ na parilaṣanti kecid apavargam apīśvara te caraṇa-saroja-haṁsa-kula-saṅga-visṛṣṭa-gṛhāḥ

Translation

My Lord, to spread the unfathomable Vedic science of the self, You manifest Your personal forms and enact Your līlās; and by diving into the vast nectar ocean of those pastimes, a few fortunate souls find relief from the weariness of worldly life. O Īśvara, such rare devotees do not even desire liberation; by the company of bhaktas—like swans sporting at the lotus of Your feet—they abandon the happiness of home and family.

Synonyms

• duravagama-ātma-tattva-nigamāya: for (revealing) the hard-to-grasp teaching of self-truth
• duravagama-ātma-tattva-nigamāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duravagama (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक) + tattva (प्रातिपदिक) + nigama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; ‘for the scripture/teaching of hard-to-know self-truth’

• tava: your
• tava: Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (युष्मद्)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• ātta-tanoḥ: of you who have assumed a body
• ātta-tanoḥ: Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ātta (आ-दा धातु, क्त कृदन्त) + tanu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘you’): ‘of (you) who have assumed a body’

• carita-mahā-amṛta-abdhi-parivarta-pariśramaṇāḥ: wearied by the cycles in the great nectar-ocean of (your) deeds
• carita-mahā-amṛta-abdhi-parivarta-pariśramaṇāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: carita (चर् धातु, क्त कृदन्त) + mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + amṛta (प्रातिपदिक) + abdhi (प्रातिपदिक) + parivarta (प्रातिपदिक) + pariśramaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (of devotees): ‘wearied by the whirlings in the great nectar-ocean of (your) deeds’

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• parilaṣanti: they seek
• parilaṣanti: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-laṣ (लष् धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘they desire/seek’

• kecit: some
• kecit: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (किम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘some (people)’

• apavargam: liberation
• apavargam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apavarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘liberation’

• api: even
• api: Discourse marker (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चय-अव्यय (even/also)

• īśvara: O Lord
• īśvara: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• te: your
• te: Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (युष्मद्)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; ‘your’

• caraṇa-saroja-haṁsa-kula-saṅga-visṛṣṭa-gṛhāḥ: those who left home through association with the swans at your lotus-feet
• caraṇa-saroja-haṁsa-kula-saṅga-visṛṣṭa-gṛhāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + saroja (प्रातिपदिक) + haṁsa (प्रातिपदिक) + kula (प्रातिपदिक) + saṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + visṛṣṭa (सृज् धातु, क्त कृदन्त) + gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (of kecit): ‘those who have abandoned home due to association with the swan-flock at your lotus-feet’

Purport

Ritualistic brāhmaṇas ( smārtas ) and impersonalists (Māyāvādīs) always try to relegate the process of bhakti-yoga to a relative or minor role. They say that devotion to the Personality of Godhead is for sentimental persons who lack the maturity to observe strict rituals or pursue the rigorous culture of knowledge.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (the Supreme Lord)
• Haṁsa-kula (paramahaṁsa devotees)

FAQs

Why do devotees in the Srimad Bhagavatam not desire moksha (liberation)?

Because by associating with pure devotees and relishing the nectar of the Lord’s pastimes, their hearts become satisfied in loving service, making even liberation seem insignificant.

Who is speaking in Bhagavatam Canto 10 Chapter 87, and to whom are these prayers offered?

The personified Vedas (Śrutis) are speaking, offering prayers to the Supreme Lord—celebrated here as the master who reveals ātma-tattva by manifesting divine forms and līlā.

How can I apply this verse (10.87.21) in modern life?

Seek saintly association, study and hear the Lord’s pastimes regularly, and prioritize devotion over ego-driven goals—even spiritual ambition—so that inner fulfillment comes from bhakti itself.