Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 46

Soma Pacifies the Pracetās; Dakṣa’s Haṁsa-guhya Prayers; Hari Grants Creative Power

Devanagari script

तपो मे हृदयं ब्रह्मंस्तनुर्विद्या क्रियाकृति: । अङ्गानि क्रतवो जाता धर्म आत्मासव: सुरा: ॥ ४६ ॥

Transliteration

tapo me hṛdayaṁ brahmaṁs tanur vidyā kriyākṛtiḥ aṅgāni kratavo jātā dharma ātmāsavaḥ surāḥ

Translation

My dear brāhmaṇa, austerity as meditation is My heart; Vedic knowledge as hymns and mantras is My body; and spiritual acts together with ecstatic devotion are My very form. Properly performed rites and sacrifices are the limbs of My body; the unseen good fortune born of dharma and piety is My mind; and the demigods who carry out My orders in various departments are My life-breath and soul.

Synonyms

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṁsaka (neuter), Prathamā (nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (singular)

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma; Ṣaṣṭhī (genitive, 6th), Ekavacana (singular)

• hṛdayam: heart
• hṛdayam: Karta (कर्ता/subject-complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṁsaka (neuter), Prathamā (nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (singular)

• brahman: O brāhmaṇa
• brahman: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga (masculine), Sambodhana (vocative), Ekavacana (singular)

• tanuḥ: body
• tanuḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject-complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (feminine), Prathamā (nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (singular)

• vidyā: knowledge
• vidyā: Karta (कर्ता/subject-complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (feminine), Prathamā (nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (singular)

• kriyā-kṛtiḥ: the form/embodiment of action
• kriyā-kṛtiḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject-complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kriyā (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (feminine), Prathamā (nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (singular); ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa: ‘kriyāyāḥ kṛtiḥ’

• aṅgāni: limbs
• aṅgāni: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṁsaka (neuter), Prathamā (nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (plural)

• kratavaḥ: sacrifices/rites
• kratavaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kratu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga (masculine), Prathamā (nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (plural)

• jātāḥ: born/arisen
• jātāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject-complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jāta (कृदन्त; √jan जन्)
• Form: Puṁliṅga (masculine), Prathamā (nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (plural); kta-participle (past passive participle) agreeing with ‘kratavaḥ’

• dharmaḥ: dharma
• dharmaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga (masculine), Prathamā (nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (singular)

• ātma-āsavāḥ: vital essences
• ātma-āsavāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक) + āsava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga (masculine), Prathamā (nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (plural); ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa: ‘ātmanaḥ āsavāḥ’ (vital essences of the self)

• surāḥ: gods
• surāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga (masculine), Prathamā (nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (plural)

Purport

Sometimes atheists argue that since God is invisible to their eyes, they do not believe in God. For them the Supreme Lord is describing a method by which one can see God in His impersonal form. Intelligent persons can see God in His personal form, as stated in the śāstras, but if one is very eager to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead immediately, face to face, he can see the Supreme Lord through this description, which portrays the various internal and external parts of His body.

Characters & Entities

• Daksha Prajapati
• Brahmanas (addressed as 'brahman')
• Devas (Suras)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about tapas (austerity) and its role in spiritual life?

This verse presents tapas as the ‘heart’—the inner core—of a dharmic life, implying that self-discipline and restraint are central supports for spiritual progress and religious integrity.

Why does Daksha describe his body as knowledge and his limbs as sacrifices?

Daksha frames his identity around Vedic duty: knowledge (vidyā) guides the body, while sacrificial rites (kratavaḥ) function like limbs—practical extensions through which dharma is enacted and maintained.

How can I apply the teaching of this shloka in modern life without performing elaborate yajnas?

Adopt tapas as disciplined living, cultivate vidyā through scriptural study and reflection, and express ‘kriyā’ as consistent daily duties done ethically and devotionally—turning work into worship and life into a principled offering.