Shloka 67

कालियदमना: यमुनाशुद्धिः, करुणा-निग्रहः, स्तुति-तत्त्वम्

Devanagari script

हृदि संकल्प्य यद् रूपं ध्यानेनार्चन्ति योगिनः भावपुष्पादिभिर् नाथः सो ऽर्च्यते वा कथं मया

Transliteration

hṛdi saṃkalpya yad rūpaṃ dhyānenārcanti yoginaḥ bhāvapuṣpādibhir nāthaḥ so 'rcyate vā kathaṃ mayā

Translation

O Lord, the form that yogins conceive within the heart and worship through meditation—adorning it with the flowers of inner devotion and other offerings of the mind—how may I, too, worship that very Supreme Master?

Word by Word

• हृदि: in the heart
• हृदि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; Locative singular

• संकल्प्य: having imagined
• संकल्प्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+कॢप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्ययभाव; having conceived/imagined

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; relative pronoun qualifying रूपम्

• रूपम्: form
• रूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; Accusative singular

• ध्यानेन: by meditation
• ध्यानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; Instrumental singular

• अर्चन्ति: worship
• अर्चन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; they worship

• योगिनः: yogins
• योगिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; Nominative plural

• भावपुष्पादिभिः: with devotion-flowers and the like
• भावपुष्पादिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाव+पुष्प+आदि (प्रातिपदिक); भावपुष्पादि (समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; Instrumental plural; 'with flowers etc. of devotion'

• नाथः: O Lord
• नाथः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; Nominative singular (vocative-sense possible)

• सः: he/that (one)
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• अर्च्यते: is worshipped
• अर्च्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय; disjunctive particle

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय; interrogative adverb

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; Instrumental singular

Speaker

Maitreya (inquiring of Sage Parāśara about the inner mode of worship of the Supreme Lord)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To receive the devotee’s inner worship and grant refuge through accessible bhakti even to the unqualified.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Establishing the primacy of inward devotion (mānasa-pūjā) when external ritual capacity is lacking.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord can be worshiped through inward visualization and mental offerings (bhāva-puṣpa), not only through external ritual.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice daily mānasa-pūjā: visualize the Lord in the heart, offer gratitude, repentance, and loving intention as ‘flowers’.

Vishishtadvaita: The heart as the locus of real communion: the personal Lord receives inner service while remaining the supreme master.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Vasudeva

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Antaryamin: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the significance of mental worship (mānasika-pūjā) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse highlights worship that occurs inwardly—forming the Lord’s form in the heart and offering devotion as “flowers”—presenting meditation as a complete, reverent mode of pūjā aimed at liberation.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the worship of Vishnu through meditation in this context?

Through Maitreya’s question, the text frames dhyāna as a disciplined act of adoration: the yogin’s mind becomes the shrine, and inner devotion becomes the offering, directed to Vishnu as the supreme object of worship.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Vishnu is approached as the supreme Lord worthy of worship even without external implements—affirming that the highest devotion and knowledge converge in inward contemplation of Him as ultimate reality.