Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 6

Bhakti as the Easy and Supreme Yoga: Seeing Kṛṣṇa in All and Uddhava’s Departure to Badarikāśrama

Devanagari script

नैवोपयन्त्यपचितिं कवयस्तवेश ब्रह्मायुषापि कृतमृद्धमुद: स्मरन्त: । योऽन्तर्बहिस्तनुभृतामशुभं विधुन्वन्न आचार्यचैत्त्यवपुषा स्वगतिं व्यनक्ति ॥ ६ ॥

Transliteration

naivopayanty apacitiṁ kavayas taveśa brahmāyuṣāpi kṛtam ṛddha-mudaḥ smarantaḥ yo ’ntar bahis tanu-bhṛtām aśubhaṁ vidhunvann ācārya-caittya-vapuṣā sva-gatiṁ vyanakti

Translation

ข้าแต่พระผู้เป็นเจ้า แม้กวีผู้รู้ธรรมและผู้เชี่ยวชาญวิทยาแห่งจิตวิญญาณ หากได้อายุยืนเท่าพระพรหม ก็ยังไม่อาจกล่าวชดใช้พระคุณของพระองค์ได้ครบถ้วน เพราะพระองค์ทรงปัดเป่าอัปมงคลของผู้มีร่างกายทั้งภายในและภายนอก โดยทรงปรากฏภายนอกเป็นอาจารย์ และภายในเป็นปรมาตมัน/อันตรยามี เพื่อชี้ทางให้สัตว์โลกไปถึงพระองค์

Synonyms

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (न अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-निपात)

• eva: indeed/at all
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (एव अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (अवधारण-निपात)

• upayanti: reach/attain
• upayanti: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-i (उपै/इ धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); Parasmaipada

• apacitim: repayment/adequate return (of gratitude)
• apacitim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apaciti (अपचितिः प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• kavayaḥ: sages/poets
• kavayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kavi (कवि प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• īśa: O Lord
• īśa: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśa (ईश प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• brahma-āyuṣā: by (even) Brahmā’s lifespan
• brahma-āyuṣā: Karana (करण/तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + āyus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); समास: तत्पुरुष (Brahmā’s lifespan)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अपि अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) ‘even/also’

• kṛtam: (what is) done; deed
• kṛtam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त used as noun ‘deed’

• ṛddha-mudaḥ: with abundant joy
• ṛddha-mudaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṛddha (प्रातिपदिक) + mud (मुद् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); समास: कर्मधारय ‘abundant-joyed’; qualifies kavayaḥ

• smarantaḥ: remembering
• smarantaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (स्मृ धातु) + at (शतृ)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन) relative pronoun

• antaḥ: within
• antaḥ: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: antaḥ (अन्तः अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) ‘within’

• bahiḥ: outside
• bahiḥ: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bahiḥ (बहिः अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) ‘outside’

• tanu-bhṛtām: of embodied beings
• tanu-bhṛtām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanu (प्रातिपदिक) + bhṛ (भृ धातु) + t (क्विप्/कृदन्त ‘bearer’)
• Form: Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन); समास: तत्पुरुष ‘body-bearers’ = embodied beings

• aśubham: inauspiciousness/impurity
• aśubham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• vidhunvan: shaking off/removing
• vidhunvan: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-dhū (विधू धातु) + an (शानच्/शतृ-समकक्ष)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ/शानच्-रूप), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with yaḥ

• ācārya-caittya-vapuṣā: by (his) form as teacher and as the indwelling deity
• ācārya-caittya-vapuṣā: Karana (करण/तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ācārya (प्रातिपदिक) + caittya (प्रातिपदिक) + vapuṣ (वपुस् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); समास: द्वन्द्व (ācārya + caittya) as qualifier of vapuṣ ‘form as teacher and as indwelling deity’

• sva-gatim: his own destination/way
• sva-gatim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + gati (गति प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); समास: कर्मधारय ‘one’s own path/goal’

• vyanakti: reveals/manifests
• vyanakti: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-añj (व्यञ्ज्/अञ्ज् धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); Parasmaipada

Purport

According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, Lord Kṛṣṇa is ten million times more dear to a devotee than life itself. And according to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, even by rendering devotional service for the total duration of one thousand universal creations, a devotee cannot repay the debt he feels to the Lord for having awarded him loving service to the Lord’s lotus feet. The Lord appears within the heart as the Supersoul and externally both as the spiritual master and as His literary incarnation — the supreme Vedic knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Uddhava
• Brahmā

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about repaying Krishna’s mercy?

This verse says even the greatest sages cannot fully repay the Lord, even over Brahmā’s lifespan, because His mercy purifies beings and reveals their true spiritual destination.

Why did Uddhava say this to Krishna in Canto 11?

In the Uddhava Gītā setting, Uddhava glorifies Kṛṣṇa’s incomparable compassion—especially how the Lord guides souls internally as the caitya (indwelling witness) and externally as the ācārya (spiritual master).

Practical application of the caitya-guru and ācārya teaching in modern life?

Seek authentic guidance through a realized teacher and sincere sādhana, while also cultivating inner honesty and prayer—trusting that the Lord helps remove impurity from within and without.