Shloka 9

दुर्वासाशापः, क्षीरसागरमन्थनम्, श्रीः (लक्ष्मी) उद्भवः तथा श्रीस्तुतिः

Devanagari script

गृहीत्वामरराजेन स्रग् ऐरावतमूर्धनि न्यस्ता रराज कैलासशिखरे जाह्नवी यथा

Transliteration

gṛhītvāmararājena srag airāvatamūrdhani nyastā rarāja kailāsaśikhare jāhnavī yathā

Translation

Tinanggap ito ng hari ng mga diyos at inilagay sa ulo ni Airāvata; nagningning ang kuwintas na parang si Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā) sa tuktok ng Kailāsa.

Word by Word

• gṛhītvā: having taken
• gṛhītvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: grah (धातु) → gṛhītvā (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययभाव-क्त्वान्त (gerund), ‘having taken/received’

• amararājena: by the king of the gods
• amararājena: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (agent of gṛhītvā/nyastā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amara + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘king of immortals’), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• srak: the garland
• srak: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (of rarāja)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sraj (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; irregular nominative form ‘srak’

• airāvatamūrdhani: on Airāvata’s head
• airāvatamūrdhani: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: airāvata + mūrdhan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘on Airāvata’s head’), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• nyastā: placed
• nyastā: Karma (Object/कर्म) (passive predicate of srak)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-as (धातु) → nyasta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; passive ‘having been placed’

• rarāja: shone
• rarāja: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: rāj (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• kailāsaśikhare: on Kailāsa’s peak
• kailāsaśikhare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kailāsa + śikhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘on the peak of Kailāsa’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• jāhnavī: the Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• jāhnavī: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāhnavī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• yathā: as
• yathā: Upamana-dyotaka (Comparator marker/उपमान-द्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमानवाचक/तुलनार्थक) ‘as/like’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (Svarga–Kailāsa imagery)

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Airavata
• Ganga (Jahnavi)
• Mount Kailasa

FAQs

What is the significance of Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā) on Kailāsa in the Vishnu Purana?

It highlights Gaṅgā’s supreme sanctity and celestial origin—her presence on Kailāsa functions as a benchmark of radiance and purity used to describe divine splendor.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine sovereignty through imagery like Indra and Airāvata?

By portraying Indra’s regal acts and Airāvata’s crowned eminence, the narrative conveys ordered kingship in Svarga, reflecting a broader cosmic hierarchy upheld under the supreme governance ultimately rooted in Viṣṇu’s order.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Viṣṇu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇic worldview treats such celestial order—gods, sacred geography, and sanctifying waters—as functioning within Viṣṇu’s overarching sovereignty and sustaining reality.