Shloka 51

यादवक्षयः, बलराम-निर्याणम्, कृष्णस्य उपसंहारः (प्रभासे विनाशः)

Devanagari script

ततो ऽर्घम् आदाय तदा जलधिः संमुखं ययौ प्रविवेश च तत्तोयं पूजितः पन्नगोत्तमैः

Transliteration

tato 'rgham ādāya tadā jaladhiḥ saṃmukhaṃ yayau praviveśa ca tattoyaṃ pūjitaḥ pannagottamaiḥ

Translation

Then, taking up the arghya-offering, the Ocean advanced to meet him; and as he entered those very waters, the foremost of the Nāgas duly honored and worshiped him.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/देश-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — 'ततः' = 'thereupon/then'

• argham: arghya offering (water/oblation)
• argham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: argha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• ādāya: having taken
• ādāya: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√dā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), परस्मैपदी; 'having taken'

• tadā: at that time
• tadā: Adhikarana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण)

• jaladhiḥ: the ocean
• jaladhiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaladhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• saṃmukham: towards the front, facing
• saṃmukham: Adhikarana (Direction/दिशा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saṃmukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग (क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण) — 'in front/face to face' (द्वितीया-रूपेण अव्ययीभूतम्)

• yayau: went
• yayau: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदी

• praviveśa: entered
• praviveśa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√viś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदी

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक conjunction)

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'that' (विशेषण)

• toyam: water
• toyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: toya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• pūjitaḥ: was worshipped/honoured
• pūjitaḥ: Karta (Grammatical subject in passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (धातु)
• Form: कृत्-प्रत्यय: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः

• pannagottamaiḥ: by the best of the serpents
• pannagottamaiḥ: Karana (Agent/Instrument in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pannaga + uttama (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; समासः: पन्नगानाम् उत्तमाः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even the cosmic elements, personified, respond with worship to the divine—bhakti is portrayed as the natural law of the universe.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate reverent offering (arghya/namaskāra) and see nature as sacred, aligning daily acts with devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: The world and its powers are real and dependent (śeṣa) upon the Lord; their ‘worship’ reflects the soul–body relation of universe to God.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Vyuha Form: Sankarshana

Characters & Entities

• Ocean (Jaladhi)
• Nāgas (Pannagas)

FAQs

What is the significance of arghya (argham) in the Vishnu Purana?

Arghya is a formal water-offering that marks reverence and rightful reception; here it signals that the encounter with the Ocean is framed within dharma and sacred protocol, not mere physical movement.

How does Sage Parāśara explain nature’s obedience in such passages?

By depicting the Ocean as approaching ‘face to face’ and the Nāgas offering worship, the narration presents the cosmos as morally ordered—its powers respond to rightful authority and sacred presence within the Purāṇic worldview.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the scene reflects a Vaishnava cosmology where cosmic forces (ocean, nāga-lords) participate in an order ultimately grounded in the Supreme Reality that Vishnu represents.