Shloka 47

शरद्वर्णनं, योगोपमा, तथा गोवर्धन-यज्ञप्रवर्तनम्

Devanagari script

गिरिमूर्धनि कृष्णो ऽपि शैलो ऽहम् इति मूर्तिमान् बुभुजे ऽन्नं बहु तदा गोपवर्याहृतं द्विज

Transliteration

girimūrdhani kṛṣṇo 'pi śailo 'ham iti mūrtimān bubhuje 'nnaṃ bahu tadā gopavaryāhṛtaṃ dvija

Translation

O twice-born sage, upon the mountain’s summit Śrī Kṛṣṇa too assumed a manifest form, declaring, “I am the mountain,” and then accepted and consumed in abundance the food brought by the foremost of the cowherds.

Word by Word

• गिरिमूर्धनि: on the mountain-top
• गिरिमूर्धनि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि (प्रातिपदिक) + मूर्धन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गिरेः मूर्धनि = on the mountain-top)

• कृष्णः: Krishna
• कृष्णः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव

• शैलः: a mountain (rock)
• शैलः: Pratijna/Predicate nominative (विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्तिसूचक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• मूर्तिमान्: embodied, having a form
• मूर्तिमान्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + मतुप् (प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; मतुप्-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (possessed of form)

• बुभुजे: ate, partook
• बुभुजे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• बहु: much, abundant
• बहु: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; अन्नम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• गोपवर्याहृतम्: brought by the best cowherds
• गोपवर्याहृतम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गोप (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + आ-हृ (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (āhṛta = brought); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गोपवर्यैः आहृतम् = brought by the best of cowherds)

• द्विज: O twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: revealing

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To protect the Vraja cowherds and redirect their worship from Indra to the Supreme, revealing His sovereignty over all devatās and rituals.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Bhagavad-bhakti as the true sacrifice, and protection of the devotees’ livelihood (go-dhana)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Bhagavān can accept devotion and offerings through any chosen embodiment, because all forms are under His sovereignty and can become His vehicle.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Offer food, work, and praise with single-pointed devotion, recognizing the divine presence in sanctified forms and places without reducing God to the form.

Vishishtadvaita: The Supreme freely becomes accessible in a concrete mode (arcā/avatāra-like manifestation) while remaining the transcendent Lord.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Vatsalya

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Govardhana (as the mountain-form implied)

FAQs

What is the significance of Krishna saying “I am the mountain” in the Vishnu Purana?

It shows Krishna’s sovereign ability to assume any form and receive worship directly, turning a local ritual into direct devotion to the Supreme.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine acceptance of offerings in this context?

Through narrative demonstration: Krishna visibly manifests and partakes of the offerings, teaching that sincere devotion reaches the Lord, who is not limited by ordinary form.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu (Krishna) here?

The verse emphasizes Vishnu/Krishna as the supreme, self-manifesting reality who freely engages devotees and accepts their service, underscoring bhakti as a direct path to Him.