Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 2

Viṣṇupadī Gaṅgā: Descent, Cosmic Pathways, and Śiva’s Praise of Saṅkarṣaṇa

Devanagari script

यत्र ह वाव वीरव्रत औत्तानपादि: परमभागवतोऽस्मत्कुलदेवताचरणारविन्दोदकमिति यामनुसवनमुत्कृष्यमाणभगवद्भ‍‌क्‍तियोगेन द‍ृढं क्लिद्यमानान्तर्हृदय औत्कण्ठ्यविवशामीलितलोचनयुगलकुड्‌मलविगलितामलबाष्पकलयाभिव्यज्यमानरोमपुलककुलकोऽधुनापि परमादरेण शिरसा बिभर्ति ॥ २ ॥

Transliteration

yatra ha vāva vīra-vrata auttānapādiḥ parama-bhāgavato ’smat-kula-devatā-caraṇāravindodakam iti yām anusavanam utkṛṣyamāṇa-bhagavad-bhakti-yogena dṛḍhaṁ klidyamānāntar-hṛdaya autkaṇṭhya-vivaśāmīlita-locana-yugala-kuḍmala-vigalitāmala-bāṣpa-kalayābhivyajyamāna-roma-pulaka-kulako ’dhunāpi paramādareṇa śirasā bibharti.

Translation

There, Dhruva Mahārāja—the heroic son of Uttānapāda—stands renowned as the most exalted bhāgavata, for his unwavering resolve in devotional service. Knowing that the sacred Gaṅgā water bathes the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu, he even today, upon his own planet, reverently bears that water upon his head. As he constantly remembers Kṛṣṇa within the innermost heart, he is overcome by yearning ecstasy; pure tears stream from his half-open eyes, and romāñca rises over his entire body.

Synonyms

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• ha: indeed
• ha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ha (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis)

• vāva: surely
• vāva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vāva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• vīra-vrataḥ: of heroic vow / steadfast
• vīra-vrataḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vīra (प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (epithet)

• auttānapādiḥ: Auttānapādi (Dhruva)
• auttānapādiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: auttānapādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; व्यक्तिवाचक (proper name/descendant of Uttānapāda)

• parama-bhāgavataḥ: the greatest devotee
• parama-bhāgavataḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāgavata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव (supreme devotee)

• asmat-kula-devatā-caraṇa-aravinda-udakam: the water of the lotus-feet of our family deity
• asmat-kula-devatā-caraṇa-aravinda-udakam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kula (प्रातिपदिक) + devatā (प्रातिपदिक) + caraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + aravinda (प्रातिपदिक) + udaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/सम्बन्ध) ‘our family-deity’s lotus-feet water’

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इति-निपात (quotative particle)

• yām: which (that)
• yām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (refers to ‘that [water]’)

• anusavanam: at every (daily) time/each service
• anusavanam: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anusavana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग/क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial accusative: ‘at each pressing/at each time of day’)

• utkṛṣyamāṇa-bhagavad-bhakti-yogena: by the ever-increasing yoga of devotion to the Lord
• utkṛṣyamāṇa-bhagavad-bhakti-yogena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: utkṛṣyamāṇa (कृदन्त; √kṛṣ/√kṛṣ? here √kṛṣ ‘to draw/raise’ in passive pres. part.) + bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘by the yoga of devotion to Bhagavān, which is being exalted/raised’

• dṛḍham: firmly
• dṛḍham: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dṛḍha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• klidyamāna-antar-hṛdayaḥ: with inner heart melting
• klidyamāna-antar-hṛdayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: klidyamāna (कृदन्त; √klid ‘to moisten/melt’, शतृ/शानच् passive pres. part.) + antar (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहिर्विशेषण: ‘whose inner heart is melting’

• autkaṇṭhya-vivaśa-āmīlita-locana-yugala-kuḍmala-vigalita-amala-bāṣpa-kalayā: by drops of pure tears dripping from his bud-like closed eyes, overcome by longing
• autkaṇṭhya-vivaśa-āmīlita-locana-yugala-kuḍmala-vigalita-amala-bāṣpa-kalayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: autkaṇṭhya (प्रातिपदिक) + vivaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + āmīlita (कृदन्त; ā-√mīl ‘to close’, क्त) + locana (प्रातिपदिक) + yugala (प्रातिपदिक) + kuḍmala (प्रातिपदिक) + vigalita (कृदन्त; vi-√gal ‘to drip/fall’, क्त) + amala (प्रातिपदिक) + bāṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + kalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समास-समूहः: ‘by drops of pure tears that have dripped from the bud-like pair of eyes closed helplessly due to longing’

• abhivyajyamāna-roma-pulaka-kulakaḥ: with manifest clusters of goosebumps
• abhivyajyamāna-roma-pulaka-kulakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhivyajyamāna (कृदन्त; abhi-√vyaj ‘to manifest’, passive pres. part.) + roma (प्रातिपदिक) + pulaka (प्रातिपदिक) + kulaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘whose clusters of horripilation are being manifested’

• adhunā: now
• adhunā: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adhunā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• api: even/still
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: ‘also/even/still’)

• parama-ādareṇa: with utmost reverence
• parama-ādareṇa: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + ādara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘with highest reverence’

• śirasā: with (his) head
• śirasā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; करण (by the head)

• bibharti: bears/holds (on his head)
• bibharti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Purport

When a person is firmly fixed in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is described as vīra-vrata, fully determined. Such a devotee increases his ecstasy in devotional service more and more. Thus as soon as he remembers Lord Viṣṇu, his eyes fill with tears. This is a symptom of a mahā-bhāgavata. Dhruva Mahārāja maintained himself in that devotional ecstasy, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also gave us a practical example of transcendental ecstasy when He lived at Jagannātha Purī. His pastimes there are fully narrated in Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Characters & Entities

• King Vīravrata
• Uttānapāda
• Bhagavān (the Supreme Lord)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the signs of advanced devotion (bhāva-bhakti)?

This verse describes classic symptoms of deep devotion—melting of the heart, tears, closed eyes in longing, and ecstatic goosebumps—arising as bhakti-yoga becomes increasingly elevated through steady worship.

Why does King Vīravrata carry the water from the Lord’s lotus feet on his head?

He regards the Lord as his dynasty’s worshipable Deity and honors the caraṇāmṛta as supremely sacred; placing it on the head expresses humility, surrender, and reverence toward Bhagavān.

How can this teaching be applied in modern devotional practice?

Maintain regular daily worship, cultivate reverence for sacred items connected to the Lord, and seek heartfelt devotion—allowing remembrance and longing for Bhagavān to soften the heart rather than keeping spirituality merely intellectual.