Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 5

Bali Mahārāja’s Empowerment and Conquest of Indra’s City

Prelude to Vāmana’s Petition

Devanagari script

ततो रथ: काञ्चनपट्टनद्धो हयाश्च हर्यश्वतुरङ्गवर्णा: । ध्वजश्च सिंहेन विराजमानो हुताशनादास हविर्भिरिष्टात् ॥ ५ ॥

Transliteration

tato rathaḥ kāñcana-paṭṭa-naddho hayāś ca haryaśva-turaṅga-varṇāḥ dhvajaś ca siṁhena virājamāno hutāśanād āsa havirbhir iṣṭāt

Translation

Alors, lorsque le ghee fut offert dans le feu du sacrifice, il apparut du brasier un char céleste revêtu d’or et de soie. Parurent aussi des chevaux jaunes semblables à ceux d’Indra, et un étendard éclatant marqué d’un lion.

Synonyms

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) of sequence/time

• rathaḥ: chariot
• rathaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Singular (एकवचन)

• kāñcana-paṭṭa-naddhaḥ: bound/fastened with a golden strap
• kāñcana-paṭṭa-naddhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāñcana (प्रातिपदिक) + paṭṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + √nah (नह्/नध् धातु) → naddha (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-कृदन्त) used adjectivally; Masculine (पुं), Nominative (प्रथमा) Singular; compound: kāñcana-paṭṭena naddhaḥ (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष)

• hayāḥ: horses
• hayāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: haya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural (बहुवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• haryaśva-turaṅga-varṇāḥ: having the color of Hari’s horses / greenish-horse colored
• haryaśva-turaṅga-varṇāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: haryaśva (प्रातिपदिक) + turaṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुं), Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural; compound: haryaśvānāṃ turaṅgāṇāṃ varṇāḥ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) used as adjective of hayāḥ

• dhvajaḥ: banner/flag
• dhvajaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhvaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• siṁhena: with a lion (emblem)
• siṁhena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siṁha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुं), Instrumental (तृतीया) Singular

• virājamānaḥ: shining/appearing splendid
• virājamānaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-√rāj (राज् धातु) → virājamāna (कृदन्त, शतृ)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ-कृदन्त); Masculine (पुं), Nominative (प्रथमा) Singular; agreeing with dhvajaḥ

• hutāśanāt: from the fire (Agni)
• hutāśanāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hutāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुं), Ablative (पञ्चमी) Singular

• āsa: was/appeared
• āsa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस् धातु)
• Form: Luṅ (लुङ्, aorist), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष) Singular (एकवचन); finite verb

• havirbhis: with oblations
• havirbhis: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: havis (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया) Plural (बहुवचन)

• iṣṭāt: from/through sacrifice; by offerings duly made
• iṣṭāt: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √yaj (यज् धातु) → iṣṭa (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-कृदन्त) used adverbially; Ablative (पञ्चमी) Singular Neuter/indeclinable-like usage in sense ‘as a result of sacrifice’; (iṣṭāt = ‘from/through having been sacrificed’)

Characters & Entities

• Agni (Hutāśana)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about yajña producing divine results?

This verse describes sacred offerings (havis) in a properly performed sacrifice producing tangible divine aids—like a chariot, horses, and a lion-marked flag—manifesting from Agni, showing yajña as a channel for divine arrangement when aligned with dharma.

Why did Śukadeva Gosvāmī describe the chariot, horses, and flag in this chapter?

He is narrating to Mahārāja Parīkṣit how the devas were equipped for their mission; the details emphasize that their strength and resources came through divine sanction and sacrificial order, not merely material power.

Practical application of the concept of yajña in modern life?

Offer your work and resources in a spirit of service—regular prayer, charity, and disciplined duty—so that actions become ‘offerings’; this cultivates humility and invites clarity and support for righteous goals.