Shloka 3

Bhṛgu Tests the Trimūrti; Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna Visit Mahā-Viṣṇu and Recover the Brāhmaṇa’s Sons

Devanagari script

न तस्मै प्रह्वणं स्तोत्रं चक्रे सत्त्वपरीक्षया । तस्मै चुक्रोध भगवान् प्रज्वलन् स्वेन तेजसा ॥ ३ ॥

Transliteration

na tasmai prahvaṇaṁ stotraṁ cakre sattva-parīkṣayā tasmai cukrodha bhagavān prajvalan svena tejasā

Translation

To test how firmly Lord Brahmā was established in the mode of goodness, Bhṛgu neither bowed to him nor praised him with prayers. The lord grew angry, blazing with his own potency.

Synonyms

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• tasmai: to him
• tasmai: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/to him)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• prahvaṇam: obeisance, bowing
• prahvaṇam: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prahvaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• stotram: hymn of praise
• stotram: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stotra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• cakre: did, performed
• cakre: Kriya (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sattva-parīkṣayā: by (the act of) testing the disposition/quality
• sattva-parīkṣayā: Karana (करण/by means of)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sattva (प्रातिपदिक) + parīkṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सत्त्वस्य परीक्षा)

• tasmai: to him
• tasmai: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/to him)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• cukrodha: became angry
• cukrodha: Kriya (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: krudh (क्रुध् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• prajvalan: blazing, flaring up
• prajvalan: Karta (कर्ता; adjectival to subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√jval (ज्वल् धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• svena: with his own
• svena: Karana (करण/with)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; स्व- (own)

• tejasā: splendor, energy
• tejasā: Karana (करण/by/with)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tejas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavān (Supreme Lord)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about testing a person's purity (sattva-parīkṣā)?

This verse states that a person withheld obeisance and praise specifically to test purity, and the Lord’s response reveals how seriously proper reverence is treated in Bhagavata dharma.

Why did the Supreme Lord become angry in this shloka?

Because no respectful obeisance (prahvaṇa) or prayer (stotra) was offered; the Lord is described as blazing with His own tejas, indicating a divine reaction to irreverence.

What is the practical application of this verse in modern life?

Approach sacred persons, sacred spaces, and worship with humility and respect; “testing” spirituality through deliberate disrespect is discouraged, since reverence is itself a core limb of bhakti.