Shloka 96

दुर्वासाशापः, क्षीरसागरमन्थनम्, श्रीः (लक्ष्मी) उद्भवः तथा श्रीस्तुतिः

Devanagari script

ततो धन्वन्तरिर् देवः श्वेताम्बरधरः स्वयम् बिभ्रत्कमण्डलुं पूर्णम् अमृतस्य समुत्थितः

Transliteration

tato dhanvantarir devaḥ śvetāmbaradharaḥ svayam bibhratkamaṇḍaluṃ pūrṇam amṛtasya samutthitaḥ

Translation

Then the divine Dhanvantari himself arose, clad in white garments, bearing a water-vessel filled to the brim with amṛta, the nectar of immortality.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्) = thereafter

• धन्वन्तरिः: Dhanvantari
• धन्वन्तरिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanvantari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Apposition (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• श्वेताम्बरधरः: wearing white garments
• श्वेताम्बरधरः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śveta + ambara + dhara (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (श्वेतम् अम्बरम् धरति) = ‘wearing white garments’

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Karta (Emphatic/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/क्रियाविशेषण) = ‘himself, in person’

• बिभ्रत्: carrying
• बिभ्रत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भृ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ-प्रत्यय), परस्मैपदी; प्रथमा, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; ‘carrying’

• कमण्डलुम्: a water-pot (kamaṇḍalu)
• कमण्डलुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kamaṇḍalu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• पूर्णम्: full
• पूर्णम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘full’ (agrees with कमण्डलुम्)

• अमृतस्य: of nectar
• अमृतस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; ‘of nectar’

• समुत्थितः: emerged
• समुत्थितः: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+उत्+स्था (धातु) → samutthita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘arisen/emerged’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Successive emergents from the Milk Ocean during samudra-manthana

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Life and restoration (amṛta) emerge alongside struggle, and divine medicine (Dhanvantari) appears as a providential support for sustaining dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Treat healing—physical and mental—as a sacred duty; cultivate purity and discipline as supports for longevity and service.

Vishishtadvaita: Divine grace manifests through distinct powers and persons (such as Dhanvantari) while remaining ordered under the Supreme’s will.

Characters & Entities

• Dhanvantari
• Devas

FAQs

What is the significance of Dhanvantari appearing with amṛta in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse marks the pivotal emergence of the nectar of immortality—an instrument through which divine order is re-established, enabling the Devas to regain strength and uphold dharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Samudra Manthana sequence in this context?

Parāśara narrates the churning as a divinely governed cosmic process where specific manifestations arise in order; Dhanvantari’s ascent with amṛta signals the climactic turning point of the episode.

What is the theological importance of Vishnu in this context?

Even when not named in the verse, the episode operates under Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty: the emergence of amṛta and its rightful dispensation reflect the Purana’s view of Vishnu as the sustaining Reality guiding cosmic outcomes.