Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 12

Rāhu, Eclipses, Antarikṣa, and the Seven Subterranean Heavens

Bila-svarga

Devanagari script

यत्र हि महाहिप्रवरशिरोमणय: सर्वं तम: प्रबाधन्ते ॥ १२ ॥

Transliteration

yatra hi mahāhi-pravara-śiro-maṇayaḥ sarvaṁ tamaḥ prabādhante.

Translation

那里住着许多大蛇，头罩上嵌有宝珠；宝珠的光辉向四方驱散一切黑暗。

Synonyms

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण), relative locative sense ‘where’ (यत्र)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), emphatic/causal ‘indeed/for’ (हि)

• mahāhi-pravara-śiro-maṇayaḥ: the crest-jewels (gems) of the heads of the foremost great serpents
• mahāhi-pravara-śiro-maṇayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahāhi (प्रातिपदिक) + pravara (प्रातिपदिक) + śiras (प्रातिपदिक) + maṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष chain: ‘of the heads of the chief great serpents’ qualifying maṇayaḥ

• sarvam: entire
• sarvam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying tamaḥ

• tamaḥ: darkness
• tamaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• prabādhante: dispel/drive away
• prabādhante: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√bādh (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

Characters & Entities

• Mahāhi (great serpents / Nāgas)

FAQs

What does Srimad Bhagavatam say about the light in Pātāla-loka?

In this verse (5.24.12), Śukadeva explains that the jeweled gems on the heads of the foremost great serpents illuminate the region, dispelling all darkness.

Why does Śukadeva Gosvāmī describe serpent jewels in Canto 5?

He is narrating Bhāgavata cosmology to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, including the features of the subterranean realms, where Nāgas’ crest-jewels provide natural illumination.

How can this shloka be applied in modern life?

It reminds a seeker that true illumination removes darkness—cultivating knowledge, purity, and devotion should similarly dispel ignorance and confusion from one’s life.