Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 24

Aditi’s Payo-vrata and Viṣṇu’s Promise to Appear as Her Son

Prelude to Vāmana

Devanagari script

अदितेर्धिष्ठितं गर्भं भगवन्तं सनातनम् । हिरण्यगर्भो विज्ञाय समीडे गुह्यनामभि: ॥ २४ ॥

Transliteration

aditer dhiṣṭhitaṁ garbhaṁ bhagavantaṁ sanātanam hiraṇyagarbho vijñāya samīḍe guhya-nāmabhiḥ

Translation

Lorsque Hiraṇyagarbha, Brahmā, comprit que le Seigneur éternel se trouvait désormais dans le sein d’Aditi, il se mit à Le prier en récitant Ses noms transcendantaux.

Synonyms

• aditeḥ: of Aditi
• aditeḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aditi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

• dhiṣṭhitam: established/placed
• dhiṣṭhitam: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhi-ṣṭhā (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying garbham

• garbham: embryo/womb-child
• garbham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhagavantam: the Blessed Lord
• bhagavantam: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying garbham

• sanātanam: eternal
• sanātanam: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sanātana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying garbham/bhagavantam

• hiraṇyagarbhaḥ: Hiraṇyagarbha (Brahmā)
• hiraṇyagarbhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hiraṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + garbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: hiraṇyasya garbhaḥ / hiraṇya-garbhaḥ (हिरण्यगर्भः)

• vijñāya: having known
• vijñāya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vi-jñā (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय, ल्यप्), indeclinable (अव्ययभाव)

• samīḍe: I praise/worship
• samīḍe: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-īḍ (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 1st person (उत्तमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• guhya-nāmabhiḥ: with secret names
• guhya-nāmabhiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guhya (प्रातिपदिक) + nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Plural (बहुवचन); tatpuruṣa: guhyāni nāmāni (गुह्यानि नामानि)

Purport

The Supreme Personality of Godhead exists everywhere ( aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham ). Therefore when one chants His transcendental names — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare — the Supreme Personality of Godhead is automatically pleased by such saṅkīrtana. It is not that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is absent; He is present there. And when a devotee utters the transcendental name, it is not a material sound. Therefore, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is naturally pleased. A devotee knows that the Lord is present everywhere and that one can please Him simply by chanting His holy name.

Characters & Entities

• Aditi
• Hiraṇyagarbha (Brahmā)
• Bhagavān (Vāmana/Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about Vishnu entering Aditi’s womb?

This verse states that the eternal Supreme Lord (Viṣṇu), to fulfill His divine purpose, entered Aditi’s womb, and Brahmā recognized and worshiped Him.

Why did Brahmā (Hiraṇyagarbha) worship the Lord with confidential names?

Because he understood the Lord’s hidden descent (an avatāra-līlā) and therefore praised Him through sacred, esoteric epithets traditionally used in intimate worship.

Practical application of this verse in modern life?

Cultivate reverence for the divine presence even when it appears in ordinary circumstances, and deepen devotion through sincere prayer and remembrance of the Lord’s names.