Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 8 Chapter 8 Verse 14

Canto 8: Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations | Chapter 8: The Churning of the Milk Ocean

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 8.8.14

tato 'bhiṣiṣicur devīḿ

śriyaḿ padma-karāḿ satīm

digibhāḥ pūrṇa-kalaśaiḥ

sūkta-vākyair dvijeritaiḥ

SYNONYMS

tataḥ — thereafter; abhiṣiṣicuḥ — poured all-auspicious water on the body; devīm — the goddess of fortune; śriyam — very beautiful; padma-karām — with a lotus in her hand; satīm — she who is most chaste, not knowing anyone but the Supreme Personality of Godhead; digibhāḥ — the great elephants; pūrṇa-kalaśaiḥ — by completely full water jugs; sūkta-vākyaiḥ — with Vedic mantras; dvi-ja — by brāhmaṇas; īritaiḥ — chanted.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, the great elephants from all the directions carried big water jugs full of Ganges water and bathed the goddess of fortune, to the accompaniment of Vedic mantras chanted by learned brāhmaṇas. While thus being bathed, the goddess of fortune maintained her original style, with a lotus flower in her hand, and she appeared very beautiful. The goddess of fortune is the most chaste, for she does not know anyone but the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

The goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, is described in this verse as śriyam, which means that she has six opulences — wealth, strength, influence, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. These opulences are received from the goddess of fortune. Lakṣmī is addressed here as devī, the goddess, because in Vaikuṇṭha she supplies all opulences to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotees, who in this way enjoy natural life in the Vaikuṇṭha planets. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is pleased with His consort, the goddess of fortune, who carries a lotus flower in her hand. Mother Lakṣmī is described in this verse as satī, the supremely chaste, because she never diverts her attention from the Supreme Personality of Godhead to anyone else.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness