Shloka 36

स्वर्गगमनम्, अदितिस्तुतिः-मायातत्त्वम्, तथा पारिजात-प्रसङ्गे इन्द्रयुद्धम्

Devanagari script

बिभ्रती पारिजातस्य केशपक्षेण मञ्जरीम् सपत्नीनाम् अहं मध्ये शोभेयम् इति कामये

Transliteration

bibhratī pārijātasya keśapakṣeṇa mañjarīm sapatnīnām ahaṃ madhye śobheyam iti kāmaye

Translation

“Wearing a cluster of Pārijāta blossoms upon the braid of my hair, I long to outshine all my co-wives in their midst.”

Word by Word

• bibhratī: bearing, wearing
• bibhratī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhṛ (धातु) + śatṛ (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (present active participle) शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (singular)

• pārijātasya: of the Pārijāta (tree)
• pārijātasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārijāta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन (singular)

• keśa-pakṣeṇa: with (in) the hair-parting/side-lock
• keśa-pakṣeṇa: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśa (प्रातिपदिक) + pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—केशानां पक्षः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; अर्थे—"side/part of the hair" अर्थात् केशपाश/केशपक्ष); पुंलिङ्ग (m.), तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन (singular)

• mañjarīm: a blossom-cluster
• mañjarīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mañjarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (singular)

• sapatnīnām: of the co-wives
• sapatnīnām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sapatnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन (plural)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (singular)

• madhye: in the midst
• madhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (singular)

• śobheyam: may I shine
• śobheyam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śubh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (singular)

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

• kāmaye: I desire
• kāmaye: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kam (धातु) (काङ्क्षायाम्)
• Form: लट् (present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (singular); आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Satyabhama (as quoted within Parasara’s narration to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Krishna’s līlā displays the transformation of human emotions—pride, jealousy, desire for beauty—into occasions that ultimately reveal divine order and grace.

Leela: Bala

Dharma Restored: Regulation of rivalry among co-wives under Krishna’s lordship; channeling kāma toward auspicious, non-destructive expression within dharma.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The desire to surpass others (māna, īrṣyā) arises even amid divine proximity, showing the need to refine intention and ego.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Notice competitive impulses in relationships and spiritual life; replace comparison with gratitude and service.

Vishishtadvaita: Even embodied emotions are not outside the Lord’s domain; they can be integrated and purified in relationship to him.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

Lakshmi Presence: Sri

Characters & Entities

• Satyabhama
• Parijata (celestial tree/flower)

FAQs

What is the significance of the Parijata flower in the Vishnu Purana?

Here it functions as a celestial prestige-symbol: possessing and wearing Pārijāta marks exceptional favor and royal splendor, becoming a catalyst for rivalry within Krishna’s household narrative.

How does Sage Parasara explain desire and rivalry in Krishna’s domestic episodes?

By presenting Satyabhama’s wish to ‘shine among co-wives,’ Parasara illustrates how human emotions—pride, longing, comparison—play out within divine lila, while Krishna remains the sovereign center who can grant or withhold such heavenly tokens.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when the verse focuses on palace emotion and ornament, the subtext is Vishnu/Krishna’s supreme lordship: heavenly wonders like Pārijāta are drawn into his earthly play, signaling his mastery over both celestial and human realms.