Shloka 20

Devanagari script

प्रस्पष्टपद्मपत्राक्षं श्रीवत्साङ्कितवक्षसम् प्रलम्बबाहुम् आयामितुङ्गोरःस्थलम् उन्नसम्

Transliteration

praspaṣṭapadmapatrākṣaṃ śrīvatsāṅkitavakṣasam pralambabāhum āyāmituṅgoraḥsthalam unnasam

Translation

His eyes were clear and wide like lotus petals; upon His chest shone the mark of Śrīvatsa. His arms were long and graceful; His chest broad and lofty; and His nose high—such is the auspicious form of the Supreme Lord.

Word by Word

• प्रस्पष्टपद्मपत्राक्षम्: with clearly lotus-petal-like eyes
• प्रस्पष्टपद्मपत्राक्षम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रस्पष्ट (प्रातिपदिक) + पद्म (प्रातिपदिक) + पत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्षि/अक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.); कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषसमूहः—पद्मपत्रे इव अक्षिणी यस्य, प्रस्पष्टे (having clearly lotus-petal-like eyes)

• श्रीवत्साङ्कितवक्षसम्: whose chest bears the Śrīvatsa mark
• श्रीवत्साङ्कितवक्षसम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रीवत्स (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्कित (अङ्क् धातु + क्त) + वक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.); तत्पुरुषः—श्रीवत्सेन अङ्कितं वक्षः यस्य (whose chest is marked with Śrīvatsa)

• प्रलम्बबाहुम्: long-armed
• प्रलम्बबाहुम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रलम्ब (प्रातिपदिक) + बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.); कर्मधारयः—प्रलम्बौ बाहू यस्य (long-armed)

• आयामितुङ्गोरःस्थलम्: with a broad, lofty chest
• आयामितुङ्गोरःस्थलम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आयामित (आ-यम् धातु + क्त) + तुङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + उरःस्थल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.); तत्पुरुषसमूहः—आयामितं (विस्तारितं) तुङ्गं उरःस्थलं यस्य (with broad and lofty chest)

• उन्नसम्: with a prominent nose
• उन्नसम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उन्नस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.); विशेषणम् (having a prominent nose)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To grant devotees steadying darśana through His auspicious marks, drawing the mind into reverent devotion.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Recognition of bhagavat-svarūpa through lakṣaṇas (divine marks) that stabilize devotion and reverence

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Contemplation of the Lord’s auspicious form—lotus eyes, Śrīvatsa, long arms—steadies the mind and ripens reverent devotion.

Vedantic Theme: Atman

Application: Use rūpa-dhyāna (visual meditation) with a chosen icon (mūrti) to cultivate steadiness, reduce distraction, and deepen devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: The Supreme is not formless abstraction alone: His divya-maṅgala-vigraha is a real, gracious mode accessible to devotees, harmonizing transcendence with immanence.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna (personal)

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Lakshmi Presence: Sri (fortune)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Shrivatsa

FAQs

What is the significance of lotus-petal eyes in the Vishnu Purana?

They signify the Lord’s purity, beauty, and compassionate, auspicious presence—an iconographic cue for devotional contemplation.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Lord’s form in this chapter?

He gives a meditation-like sequence of auspicious bodily features—eyes, chest-mark, arms, and noble proportions—so the mind can fix on Vishnu as the Supreme Reality in a personal form.

What is the theological importance of the Śrīvatsa mark here?

Śrīvatsa is a distinctive sign of Vishnu’s divinity and sovereignty, reinforcing that the cosmic ruler is not an abstract principle alone but the Supreme Lord with identifiable auspicious attributes.