Shloka 3

Āgnīdhra Meets Pūrvacitti and Begets the Nine Sons of Jambūdvīpa

Devanagari script

तदुपलभ्य भगवानादिपुरुष: सदसि गायन्तीं पूर्वचित्तिं नामाप्सरसमभियापयामास ॥ ३ ॥

Transliteration

tad upalabhya bhagavān ādi-puruṣaḥ sadasi gāyantīṁ pūrvacittiṁ nāmāpsarasam abhiyāpayām āsa.

Translation

அக்னீத்ரரின் விருப்பத்தை அறிந்த ஆதிபுருஷனான பகவான் பிரம்மா, தன் சபையில் பாடிய சிறந்த அப்சரையான பூர்வசித்தியைத் தேர்ந்து அரசனிடம் அனுப்பினார்।

Synonyms

• tat: that (situation/thing)
• tat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); demonstrative pronoun

• upalabhya: having perceived/obtained
• upalabhya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa√labh (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), indeclinable; ‘having obtained/realized’

• bhagavān: the Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• ādi-puruṣaḥ: the primeval person
• ādi-puruṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādi (प्रातिपदिक) + puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; तत्पुरुष: ‘ādi’ qualifying ‘puruṣa’ (the original person)

• sadasi: in the assembly
• sadasi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sadas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; place-locative

• gāyantīm: singing
• gāyantīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gāyat (प्रातिपदिक; शतृ-प्रत्यय from √gai/गै ‘to sing’)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd), Singular; Present active participle (शतृ) used adjectivally

• pūrvacittim: Pūrvacitti
• pūrvacittim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrvacitti (प्रातिपदिक; proper noun)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd), Singular; proper name

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha/Avyaya (सम्बन्ध/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) indicating naming/indeed

• apsarasam: the apsaras (celestial nymph)
• apsarasam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apsaras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• abhiyāpayāmāsa: summoned/caused to come
• abhiyāpayāmāsa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi√yā (धातु) + causative (णिच्) + periphrastic perfect
• Form: Causative (णिजन्त) of √yā ‘to go’; Periphrastic Perfect (लिट्/परस्मैपद-परिप्रयोग), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); ‘caused to come/sent for’

Purport

In this verse, the words bhagavān ādi-puruṣaḥ are significant. Bhagavān ādi-puruṣaḥ is Lord Kṛṣṇa. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original person. In Bhagavad-gītā, He is also addressed by Arjuna as puruṣam ādyam, the original person, and He is called Bhagavān. In this verse, however, we see that Lord Brahmā is described as bhagavān ādi-puruṣaḥ. The reason he is called bhagavān is that he fully represents the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is the first-born creature in this universe. Lord Brahmā could understand Mahārāja Āgnīdhra’s desire because he is as powerful as Lord Viṣṇu. As Lord Viṣṇu, situated as Paramātmā, can understand the desire of the living entity, so Lord Brahmā can also understand the living entity’s desire, for Viṣṇu, as a via medium, informs him. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.1) , tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye: Lord Viṣṇu informs Lord Brahmā of everything from within his heart. Because Mahārāja Āgnīdhra specifically worshiped Lord Brahmā, Lord Brahmā was pleased, and he sent Pūrvacitti, the Apsarā, to satisfy him.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavān (Ādipuruṣa)
• Pūrvacitti

FAQs

Who is Pūrvacitti in the Srimad Bhagavatam?

Pūrvacitti is an apsarā (celestial nymph) mentioned here as singing in the royal assembly, whom the Supreme Lord arranged to approach the concerned person as part of the unfolding narrative in Canto 5, Chapter 2.

What does this verse show about God's role in events in the Bhagavata Purana?

It emphasizes divine orchestration: the Lord, as Ādipuruṣa, understands the situation and arranges circumstances—here, sending Pūrvacitti—so that the destined sequence of events proceeds.

How can devotees apply the teaching of divine arrangement in modern life?

This verse encourages seeing life’s turning points as guided by a higher order, cultivating responsibility for one’s desires while trusting that outcomes unfold under the Lord’s supervision.