Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 38

Kṛṣṇa Visits Indraprastha; Kuntī’s Remembrance; Kālindī and Further Marriages

Devanagari script

अर्चितं पुनरित्याह नारायण जगत्पते । आत्मानन्देन पूर्णस्य करवाणि किमल्पक: ॥ ३८ ॥

Transliteration

arcitaṁ punar ity āha nārāyaṇa jagat-pate ātmānandena pūrṇasya karavāṇi kim alpakaḥ

Translation

那伽那吉王先如法供奉主，然后说道：“噢那罗延，宇宙之主！你自性灵乐圆满无缺；我这微不足道之人又能为你做什么呢？”

Synonyms

• arcitam: (you are) worshipped
• arcitam: Karma-bhāva (कर्मभाव/प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: arc (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Kta-participle, Napuṁsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; used predicatively ‘(you are) worshipped/honored’

• punar: again
• punar: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyārtha-sūcaka (वाक्यार्थसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; quotative particle

• āha: said
• āha: Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ah (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (perfect), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• nārāyaṇa: O Nārāyaṇa
• nārāyaṇa: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Sambodhana (vocative), Ekavacana

• jagat-pate: O Lord of the world
• jagat-pate: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Sambodhana, Ekavacana; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa: ‘jagataḥ patiḥ’

• ātmānandena: with self-bliss
• ātmānandena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman + ānanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Tṛtīyā (instr), Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: ‘ātmanaḥ ānandaḥ’

• pūrṇasya: of the complete one
• pūrṇasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (gen), Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of (tvam) implied: ‘of the full/complete (one)’

• karavāṇi: may I do
• karavāṇi: Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Liṅ-lakāra (optative), Uttama-puruṣa (1st), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• kim: what (can I do)?
• kim: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Interrogative used adverbially (avyaya-prayoga) meaning ‘what?’/‘why?’

• alpakaḥ: (I) a petty person
• alpakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: alpaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; used as self-reference ‘a small/insignificant one’

Characters & Entities

• Mucukunda
• Nārāyaṇa
• Śrī Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about offering to God who is already complete?

This verse teaches that the Lord is pūrṇa—fully satisfied in His own ātmānanda—so a devotee’s offering is not to fulfill God’s lack, but to express love, surrender, and reverence.

Why did Mucukunda address Krishna as ‘Narayana, Jagatpati’ in Bhagavatam 10.58?

Recognizing Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord, Mucukunda praises Him as Nārāyaṇa, the universal Lord (jagat-pati), and admits his own smallness, highlighting devotional humility after receiving the Lord’s grace.

Practical application of this shloka’s humility in modern life?

Approach worship and service without ego—offer your best with sincerity, remembering that spiritual practice is for purifying the heart, not for “repaying” or impressing the Divine.