Shloka 15

Uddhava’s Remembrance of Kṛṣṇa and the Theology of the Lord’s Disappearance

Devanagari script

स्वशान्तरूपेष्वितरै: स्वरूपै- रभ्यर्द्यमानेष्वनुकम्पितात्मा । परावरेशो महदंशयुक्तो ह्यजोऽपि जातो भगवान् यथाग्नि: ॥ १५ ॥

Transliteration

sva-śānta-rūpeṣv itaraiḥ sva-rūpair abhyardyamāneṣv anukampitātmā parāvareśo mahad-aṁśa-yukto hy ajo ’pi jāto bhagavān yathāgniḥ

Translation

The Bhagavān, the compassionate Lord of both the spiritual and material realms, though unborn, appears in birth like fire when friction arises between His peaceful devotees and those ruled by the guṇas, accompanied by a portion of the mahat-tattva.

Synonyms

• sva-śānta-rūpeṣu: in (His) own peaceful forms
• sva-śānta-rūpeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva + śānta + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural; समासः कर्मधारयः (स्वं च शान्तं च रूपं)

• itaraiḥ: by other
• itaraiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: itara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural; used adjectivally

• sva-rūpaiḥ: by (their) own forms
• sva-rūpaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्वस्य रूपाणि)

• abhyardyamāneṣu: when (they) were being harassed
• abhyardyamāneṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-ard (अभ्यर्द् धातु)
• Form: Present passive participle (शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्ययः), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural, Neuter; ‘being oppressed/attacked’

• anukampita-ātmā: having a compassionate heart
• anukampita-ātmā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anukampita (अनुकम्प् धातु, क्त) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; बहुव्रीहिः ‘whose self/heart is compassionate’

• parāvara-īśaḥ: the Lord of the higher and lower (worlds/beings)
• parāvara-īśaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para + avara + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; तत्पुरुषः (परस्य च अवरस्य च ईशः)

• mahat-aṁśa-yuktaḥ: endowed with a great portion (of His potency)
• mahat-aṁśa-yuktaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat + aṁśa + yukta (युज् धातु, क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; तत्पुरुषः ‘endowed with a great portion (of power)’

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), emphatic/causal

• ajaḥ: the unborn one
• ajaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘unborn’

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), concessive ‘even/also’

• jātaḥ: was born/manifested
• jātaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (जन् धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Singular; used predicatively ‘was born/manifested’

• bhagavān: the Blessed Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb/particle (उपमानार्थक अव्यय)

• agniḥ: fire
• agniḥ: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

Purport

The devotees of the Lord are by nature peaceful because they have no material hankering. A liberated soul has no hankering, and therefore he has no lamentation. One who wants to possess also laments when he loses his possession. Devotees have no hankerings for material possessions and no hankerings for spiritual salvation. They are situated in the transcendental loving service of the Lord as a matter of duty, and they do not mind where they are or how they have to act. Karmīs, jñānīs and yogīs all hanker to possess some material or spiritual assets. Karmīs want material possessions, jñānīs and yogīs want spiritual possessions, but devotees do not want any material or spiritual assets. They want only to serve the Lord anywhere in the material or spiritual worlds that the Lord desires, and the Lord is always specifically compassionate towards such devotees.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavān (Supreme Lord)

FAQs

Why does the unborn Lord (aja) appear in Srimad Bhagavatam?

This verse explains that although the Lord is unborn, He manifests by His own will—moved by compassion—when His energies and the created situation require divine intervention.

What does “parāvareśa” mean in Bhagavata Purana?

Parāvareśa means the Lord of both the higher (spiritual/superior) and lower (material/inferior) realms—indicating God’s complete sovereignty over all existence.

How can this shloka be applied in modern life?

It teaches that divine help can appear even in seemingly chaotic conditions; cultivating devotion and humility invites one to perceive the Lord’s compassionate guidance amid disturbance.