Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 6

Puruṣa-sūkta Logic of the Virāṭ: Cosmic Anatomy, Sacrifice, and the Lord’s Transcendence

Devanagari script

बाहवो लोकपालानां प्रायश: क्षेमकर्मणाम् ॥ ६ ॥

Transliteration

bāhavo loka-pālānāṁ prāyaśaḥ kṣema-karmaṇām

Translation

The Lord’s arms are the fertile field for the lokapālas and all leaders who protect the living beings, by whom the work of welfare and guardianship is carried out.

Synonyms

• बाहवः: arms
• बाहवः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1 विभक्ति), बहुवचन; nominative plural

• लोक-पालानाम्: of the world-guardians
• लोक-पालानाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + पाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6 विभक्ति), बहुवचन; genitive plural; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘of the protectors of the worlds’)

• प्रायशः: mostly/for the most part
• प्रायशः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रायशस् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• क्षेम-कर्मणाम्: of protective/welfare duties
• क्षेम-कर्मणाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेम (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6 विभक्ति), बहुवचन; genitive plural; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘of welfare-activities/acts of protection’)

Purport

This important verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is corroborated and nicely explained in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.41-42) as follows:

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the lokapālas (guardians of the worlds)?

It identifies the lokapālas as manifestations within the Lord’s universal form—cosmic administrators whose primary function is kṣema, the protection and welfare of the worlds.

Why does Śukadeva Gosvāmī describe the Lord’s arms as the lokapālas?

In the Virāṭ-rūpa teaching, Śukadeva maps cosmic functions to the Lord’s limbs to show that all governance and protection ultimately rest on the Supreme Person.

Practical application of this teaching in modern life?

See authority and protection as sacred responsibilities—serve others’ welfare (kṣema) while remembering that all power is ultimately meant to support dharma and devotion to God.