Shloka 42

Brahmā’s Day, the Four Pralayas, and the Supreme Shelter Beyond Cause–Effect

Devanagari script

स वै मह्यं महाराज भगवान् बादरायण: । इमां भागवतीं प्रीत: संहितां वेदसम्मिताम् ॥ ४२ ॥

Transliteration

sa vai mahyaṁ mahā-rāja bhagavān bādarāyaṇaḥ imāṁ bhāgavatīṁ prītaḥ saṁhitāṁ veda-sammitām

Translation

Wahai Mahārāja, Bhagavān Bādarāyaṇa (Vyāsadeva) dengan penuh kasih mengajarkan kepadaku saṁhitā Bhāgavatī ini—Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam—yang kedudukannya setara dengan keempat Veda.

Synonyms

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात-अव्यय; अवधानार्थ (indeed/emphatic)

• mahyam: to me
• mahyam: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (Dative), एकवचन; ‘to me’

• mahā-rāja: O great king
• mahā-rāja: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘महान् राजा’

• bhagavān: the Blessed Lord
• bhagavān: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• bādarāyaṇaḥ: Bādarāyaṇa (Vyāsa)
• bādarāyaṇaḥ: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bādarāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• imām: this
• imām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (to saṁhitām)

• bhāgavatīm: Bhāgavata-related
• bhāgavatīm: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhāgavata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (to saṁhitām)

• prītaḥ: pleased
• prītaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √prī (प्री) + kta (क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि-प्रयोगे ‘being pleased’

• saṁhitām: compilation
• saṁhitām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṁhitā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• veda-sammitām: equal to the Veda
• veda-sammitām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: veda + sammita (√mā/√mi, क्त) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘वेदेन सम्मिता/वेदतुल्या’

Characters & Entities

• Mahārāja Parīkṣit
• Bādarāyaṇa (Vyāsadeva)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the Bhāgavata being Veda-authoritative (veda-sammitam)?

This verse states that the Bhāgavata-saṁhitā given by Vyāsadeva is veda-sammitā—fully consistent with and validated by the Vedas—affirming its scriptural authority.

Why did Śukadeva Gosvāmī mention Bādarāyaṇa (Vyāsadeva) to King Parīkṣit here?

Śukadeva identifies the source of the Bhāgavatam—Vyāsadeva—showing that the teaching he is delivering to Parīkṣit comes through an authentic, Veda-aligned lineage.

Practical application: how should a modern reader approach the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam based on this verse?

Read the Bhāgavatam with trust in its Vedic foundation and with devotion, approaching it as a complete spiritual compendium meant to guide one toward bhakti and realization.