Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 5

Āgnīdhra Meets Pūrvacitti and Begets the Nine Sons of Jambūdvīpa

Devanagari script

तस्या: सुललितगमनपदविन्यासगतिविलासायाश्चानुपदं खणखणायमानरुचिरचरणाभरणस्वनमुपाकर्ण्य नरदेवकुमार: समाधियोगेनामीलितनयननलिनमुकुलयुगलमीषद्विकचय्य व्यचष्ट ॥ ५ ॥

Transliteration

tasyāḥ sulalita-gamana-pada-vinyāsa-gati-vilāsāyāś cānupadaṁ khaṇa-khaṇāyamāna-rucira-caraṇābharaṇa-svanam upākarṇya naradeva-kumāraḥ samādhi-yogenāmīlita-nayana-nalina-mukula-yugalam īṣad vikacayya vyacaṣṭa.

Translation

Mientras Pūrvacitti avanzaba con un andar exquisitamente grácil, los adornos de sus tobillos tintineaban dulcemente a cada paso. Aunque el príncipe Āgnīdhra dominaba los sentidos en yoga y mantenía los ojos semicerrados, al oír ese sonido abrió un poco más sus ojos de loto y la vio muy cerca.

Synonyms

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• sulalita-gamana-pada-vinyāsa-gati-vilāsāyāḥ: of her very graceful gait and step-arrangement
• sulalita-gamana-pada-vinyāsa-gati-vilāsāyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + lalita (प्रातिपदिक) + gamana (प्रातिपदिक) + pada (प्रातिपदिक) + vinyāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + gati (प्रातिपदिक) + vilāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive (6th), Singular; compound describing her: ‘of (her) graceful movement, step-placement, gait and play’

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• anupadam: at every step
• anupadam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anu (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण); अव्ययीभाव: ‘step by step/at every step’

• khaṇa-khaṇāyamāna-rucira-caraṇa-ābharaṇa-svanam: the sweet jingling sound of her foot-ornaments
• khaṇa-khaṇāyamāna-rucira-caraṇa-ābharaṇa-svanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khaṇa-khaṇa (अनुकरण-अव्यय) + āyamāna (मान; pres. part. from √yam with ā) + rucira (प्रातिपदिक) + caraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ābharaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + svana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular; object of upākarṇya: ‘the pleasant sound of anklets on the feet, making “khaṇa-khaṇa”’

• upākarṇya: having heard
• upākarṇya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa√kṛ (धातु; in sense ‘to hear’, upa-ā-√karṇ/√kṛ?)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), indeclinable; ‘having heard’

• naradeva-kumāraḥ: the prince
• naradeva-kumāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naradeva (प्रातिपदिक) + kumāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; ‘prince (son) of the king’

• samādhi-yogena: by the yoga of concentration
• samādhi-yogena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samādhi (प्रातिपदिक) + yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Singular; means/instrument

• āmīlita-nayana-nalina-mukula-yugalam: his pair of lotus-bud eyes (closed)
• āmīlita-nayana-nalina-mukula-yugalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āmīlita (क्त from ā√mīl ‘to close’) + nayana (प्रातिपदिक) + nalina (प्रातिपदिक) + mukula (प्रातिपदिक) + yugala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; object of vikacayya: ‘pair of lotus-bud-like eyes that were closed’

• īṣat: slightly
• īṣat: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: īṣat (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण): ‘slightly’

• vikacayya: having opened
• vikacayya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi√kac (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), indeclinable; ‘having opened (blossomed)’

• vyacaṣṭa: he saw
• vyacaṣṭa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi√cakṣ (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada; ‘saw/observed’

Purport

It is said that yogīs always think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within their hearts. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ ( Bhāg. 12.13.1 ). The Supreme Personality of Godhead is always observed by yogīs who practice controlling the venomous senses. As recommended in Bhagavad-gītā, yogīs should practice samprekṣya nāsikāgram, keeping their eyes half open. If the eyes are closed completely, there will be a tendency to sleep. So-called yogīs sometimes practice a fashionable form of yoga by closing their eyes and meditating, but we have actually seen such so-called yogīs sleeping and snoring while meditating. This is not the practice of yoga. To actually practice yoga, one should keep his eyes half open and gaze at the tip of his nose.

Characters & Entities

• naradeva-kumāra

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the power of sound to affect the mind?

This verse shows that even a meditator in samādhi can be drawn outward by sound—here, the rhythmic tinkling of foot-ornaments—highlighting how potent śabda (sound) is in moving attention.

Why does the prince open his eyes from samādhi in this verse?

He hears the distinctive, beautiful sound of her anklet/foot ornaments at each step, and that sense impression causes him to slightly open his eyes and look.

Practical application of this shloka in modern life?

It encourages mindful sense-discipline: notice how small stimuli (sounds, notifications, music) can pull the mind from focus, and intentionally redirect attention to a chosen spiritual or purposeful object.