Shloka 11

Devanagari script

निरीक्ष्य तं तदा देवी पातालतलम् आगतम् तुष्टाव प्रणता भूत्वा भक्तिनम्रा वसुंधरा

Transliteration

nirīkṣya taṃ tadā devī pātālatalam āgatam tuṣṭāva praṇatā bhūtvā bhaktinamrā vasuṃdharā

Translation

Then the Goddess Earth, seeing Him arrived upon the plane of Pātāla, bowed down in reverence and—humbled by devotion—praised Him.

Word by Word

• निरीक्ष्य: having looked at, seeing
• निरीक्ष्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund/absolutive), क्रियापूर्वक (having seen)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-vishesana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पातालतलम्: the region of Pātāla
• पातालतलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—पातालस्य तलम् (surface/region of Pātāla)

• आगतम्: come, arrived
• आगतम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier) तम् इति

• तुष्टाव: praised
• तुष्टाव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तु (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• प्रणता: bowed down
• प्रणता: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-नम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि; देवी इति कर्तृपदस्य विशेषणम्

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), क्रियापूर्वक (having become)

• भक्तिनम्रा: humbled by devotion
• भक्तिनम्रा: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ति + नम्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier) वसुंधरा/देवी इति; समासः—भक्त्या नम्रा (bent with devotion)

• वसुंधरा: Vasundharā (Earth)
• वसुंधरा: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुंधरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: compassionate

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Varaha

Purpose: He reaches Pātāla as Varāha to recover the Earth and restore her to her rightful station.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Restoration of the Earth to sustain beings and dharmic life.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Bhū-devī models surrender: recognizing the Lord’s arrival even in the nether realms, she bows and praises with devotion.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice praṇāma and gratitude when help arrives; cultivate softness (namratā) as a devotional discipline rather than pride in self-sufficiency.

Vishishtadvaita: The world (Bhū) is a real dependent of the Lord and responds in devotion—illustrating the śeṣa–śeṣin (dependent–Lord) relation central to Viśiṣṭādvaita.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Lakshmi Presence: Bhumi

Characters & Entities

• Vasundharā (Bhūdevī/Earth)
• Pātāla

FAQs

What is the significance of Pātāla in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse places the divine action within Pātāla, highlighting the Purana’s layered cosmos where even the nether regions fall under Viṣṇu’s sovereign reach and become a stage for restoring order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain devotion (bhakti) through Vasundharā here?

Parāśara depicts Earth herself becoming “bhaktinamrā”—humbled by devotion—showing bhakti not as mere emotion but as reverent surrender before the Supreme who protects and upholds the worlds.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Though unnamed in the verse, the “He” who arrives in Pātāla is treated as the supreme protector: creation venerates Him because cosmic stability depends on His descent and sustaining power.