Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 21

Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi Tested by Indra and Blessed by Nara-Nārāyaṇa

Devanagari script

उद्यच्चन्द्रनिशावक्त्र: प्रवालस्तबकालिभि: । गोपद्रुमलताजालैस्तत्रासीत् कुसुमाकर: ॥ २१ ॥

Transliteration

udyac-candra-niśā-vaktraḥ pravāla-stabakālibhiḥ gopa-druma-latā-jālais tatrāsīt kusumākaraḥ

Translation

Spring then manifested in the āśrama. The evening sky, glowing with the rising moon, became as the very face of spring, and tender shoots and fresh blossoms all but covered the many trees and creepers.

Synonyms

• udyat-candra-niśā-vaktraḥ: having a face like a moonlit night with the rising moon
• udyat-candra-niśā-vaktraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: udyat + candra + niśā + vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; बहुव्रीहि: ‘yasya vaktraṃ udyac-candra-niśāvat’ = ‘whose face is like a moonlit night with rising moon’ (describing kusumākaraḥ)

• pravāla-stabaka-ālibhiḥ: with rows of coral-like clusters
• pravāla-stabaka-ālibhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pravāla + stabaka + āli (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural; ‘with rows/swarms (ālibhiḥ) of coral-like clusters’

• gopa-druma-latā-jālaiḥ: with nets of trees and creepers
• gopa-druma-latā-jālaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gopa + druma + latā + jāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd), Plural; ‘with networks of gopa-trees and creepers’

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (देशवाचक-अव्यय)

• āsīt: was
• āsīt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd person, Singular; parasmaipada

• kusuma-ākaraḥ: the spring (storehouse of flowers)
• kusuma-ākaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kusuma + ākara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; ‘mine/abode of flowers’

FAQs

What is the meaning of Bhagavatam 12.8.21?

It poetically depicts a scene where the night appears moon-faced and springlike, filled with bees, tender sprouts, trees, and creepers—showing the Bhagavatam’s devotional beauty and rasa through nature imagery.

Who is speaking Bhagavatam 12.8.21 and to whom?

Śukadeva Gosvāmī is narrating to Mahārāja Parīkṣit as part of the concluding section of the Twelfth Canto.

How can this verse be applied in modern devotional life?

It trains the mind to see the world with sacred attention—cultivating gratitude, contemplation, and a bhakti-centered aesthetic that supports remembrance of the Divine.