Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 54

Prāyaścitta, the ‘Elephant Bath’ Problem, and the Opening of Ajāmila-Upākhyāna

Devanagari script

लब्ध्वा निमित्तमव्यक्तं व्यक्ताव्यक्तं भवत्युत । यथायोनि यथाबीजं स्वभावेन बलीयसा ॥ ५४ ॥

Transliteration

labdhvā nimittam avyaktaṁ vyaktāvyaktaṁ bhavaty uta yathā-yoni yathā-bījaṁ svabhāvena balīyasā

Translation

Al obtener la causa no manifiesta (avyakta), lo manifiesto y lo sutil se despliegan. Según el vientre y la semilla, por un svabhāva más poderoso, el ser nace en tal linaje; el cuerpo burdo y el sutil se forman conforme a su deseo.

Synonyms

• labdhvā: having obtained
• labdhvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (लभ् धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा), ‘having obtained’

• nimittam: a cause/occasion
• nimittam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nimitta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• avyaktam: unmanifest
• avyaktam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + vyakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); adjective to nimittam

• vyakta-avyaktam: manifest and unmanifest
• vyakta-avyaktam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyakta (प्रातिपदिक) + avyakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); dvandva used as a collective predicate

• bhavati: becomes
• bhavati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• uta: and/also
• uta: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: uta (निपात)
• Form: Particle (समुच्चय/अवधारण)

• yathā-yoni: according to the species/womb
• yathā-yoni: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva compound functioning adverbially; ‘according to the womb/species’

• yathā-bījam: according to the seed
• yathā-bījam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + bīja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva compound functioning adverbially; Neuter form in usage

• svabhāvena: by (one’s) nature
• svabhāvena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• balīyasā: more powerfully
• balīyasā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: balīyas (प्रातिपदिक; comparative of balin)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुंसक), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); comparative used adverbially ‘more strongly’

Purport

The gross body is a product of the subtle body. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (8.6) :

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about why a soul takes a particular birth (yoni)?

This verse says birth occurs according to the specific womb and “seed” (karmic cause/impressions), propelled by a powerful acquired nature (svabhāva) shaped by past actions.

Why did Śukadeva Gosvāmī explain manifest and unmanifest states in the Ajāmila episode?

To clarify that karmic impulses operate subtly (unmanifest) and then produce visible results (manifest birth and circumstances), helping explain how Ajāmila’s past conditioning led to his situation.

Practical application of this teaching on svabhava in modern life?

It encourages conscious habit-building: repeated actions create deep conditioning that later “manifests” as character and destiny, so cultivating sādhana, good company, and devotion reshapes svabhāva.