Shloka 20

अक्रूरस्य यमुनादर्शनम्, मथुराप्रवेशः, रजकवधः, माल्यजीवकवरदानम्

Devanagari script

विकासिमुखपद्माभ्यां ताभ्यां पुष्पाणि याचितः भुवं विष्टभ्य हस्ताभ्यां पस्पर्श शिरसा महीम्

Transliteration

vikāsimukhapadmābhyāṃ tābhyāṃ puṣpāṇi yācitaḥ bhuvaṃ viṣṭabhya hastābhyāṃ pasparśa śirasā mahīm

Translation

With his face like a lotus in bloom, he asked the two for flowers. Then, bracing himself on the ground with both hands, he bowed so deeply that his head touched the earth.

Word by Word

• vikāsi-mukha-padmābhyām: with (their) blooming lotus-like faces
• vikāsi-mukha-padmābhyām: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vikāsin (कृदन्त/विशेषण) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक) + padma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), द्विवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (विकासि मुखं यस्य तत्; मुखपद्मम्)

• tābhyām: by those two
• tābhyām: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• puṣpāṇi: flowers
• puṣpāṇi: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• yācitaḥ: was asked (for)
• yācitaḥ: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yāc (धातु) + ta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त/त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘याचितः’ = ‘was requested/asked’

• bhuvam: the earth/ground
• bhuvam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• viṣṭabhya: having supported (himself)
• viṣṭabhya: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: stambh (धातु) + vi- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘वि-ष्टभ्य’ (वि + स्तम्भ्) = ‘having propped/supported’

• hastābhyām: with (his) two hands
• hastābhyām: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), द्विवचन

• pasparśa: touched
• pasparśa: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: spṛś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person/प्रथमपुरुष), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śirasā: with (his) head
• śirasā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• mahīm: the earth
• mahīm: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Śrī Kṛṣṇa moves among humans to protect dharma and draw forth bhakti through intimate, accessible līlā.

Leela: Dharma-upadesa

Dharma Restored: Establishing humility and reverence as the proper mode of approaching the Lord and His associates.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: True worship begins with surrender—bowing the ego down to the very earth before the Lord.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate namra-bhāva in daily prayer: offer simple acts (bowing, service, honest gratitude) before seeking gifts.

Vishishtadvaita: The transcendent Lord accepts embodied, physical acts of devotion in the world, sanctifying matter as His mode (śarīra) rather than rejecting it.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Dasya

FAQs

What is the significance of touching the earth with one’s head in the Vishnu Purana?

It signifies complete humility and surrender—an embodied act of reverence where the devotee or ruler lowers the ego before dharma and the sacred.

How does Sage Parāśara explain devotional conduct within dynastic narratives?

He presents inner devotion through outward discipline—simple acts like requesting flowers and bowing become markers of a ruler’s dharmic character within the lineage accounts.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana frames righteous conduct and reverence as participation in Vishnu’s cosmic order (dharma), where devotion supports sovereignty and stability.