Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 8
Aditi’s Payo-vrata and Viṣṇu’s Promise to Appear as Her Son
Prelude to Vāmana
श्रीअदितिरुवाच यज्ञेश यज्ञपुरुषाच्युत तीर्थपाद तीर्थश्रव: श्रवणमङ्गलनामधेय । आपन्नलोकवृजिनोपशमोदयाद्य शं न: कृधीश भगवन्नसि दीननाथ: ॥ ८ ॥
śrī-aditir uvāca yajñeśa yajña-puruṣācyuta tīrtha-pāda tīrtha-śravaḥ śravaṇa-maṅgala-nāmadheya āpanna-loka-vṛjinopaśamodayādya śaṁ naḥ kṛdhīśa bhagavann asi dīna-nāthaḥ
La déesse Aditi dit : Ô Yajñeśa, ô Puruṣa du sacrifice, Acyuta ! Tes pieds sont un tīrtha, et Ta renommée est aussi un tīrtha ; entendre Ton Nom auspicious est déjà bénédiction. Tu apparais pour apaiser la détresse des mondes en péril ; ô Seigneur, ô Bhagavān, Tu es le refuge des pauvres—accorde-nous le bien.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the master of those who observe vows and austerities, and it is He who bestows benedictions upon them. He is worshipable for the devotee throughout the devotee’s life, for He never breaks His promises. As He says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.31) , kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati: “O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.” The Lord is addressed here as acyuta, the infallible, because He takes care of His devotees. Anyone inimical to the devotees is certainly vanquished by the mercy of the Lord. The Lord is the source of the Ganges water, and therefore He is addressed here as tīrtha-pāda, indicating that all the holy places are at His lotus feet, or that whatever He touches with His foot becomes a holy place. Bhagavad-gītā, for example, begins with the words dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre. Because the Lord was present on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, it became a dharma-kṣetra, a place of pilgrimage. Therefore the Pāṇḍavas, who were extremely religious, were assured of victory. Any place where the Supreme Personality of Godhead displays His pastimes, such as Vṛndāvana or Dvārakā, becomes a holy place. The chanting of the holy name of the Lord — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare — is pleasing to the ear, and it expands good fortune to the audience who hears it chanted. Owing to the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Aditi was fully assured that the troublesome condition created for her by the demons would now be ended.
FAQs
This verse states that hearing the Lord’s glories is itself a sacred act, and His auspicious names bring blessing—shravaṇa (hearing) becomes a purifier and a source of welfare.
Aditi addresses Vishnu as the Lord and soul of all sacrifices to invoke His supreme authority over dharma and cosmic order, seeking His protection and relief from distress.
Turn to sincere prayer, regularly hear or chant the Lord’s holy names, and remember Him as the protector of the helpless—this cultivates inner peace and resilience while seeking divine guidance.