Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.21.51
योऽर्केन्द्वग्नीन्द्रवायूनां यमधर्मप्रचेतसाम् ।
रूपाणि स्थान आधत्से तस्मै शुक्लाय ते नम: ॥ ५१ ॥
yo ’rkendv-agnīndra-vāyūnāṁ
[yo ’rkendv-agneendra-vaayoonaam]
yama-dharma-pracetasām
[yama-dharma-prachetasaam]
rūpāṇi sthāna ādhatse
[roopaani sthaana aadhatse]
tasmai śuklāya te namaḥ
[tasmai shuklaaya te namah]
Word-for-word
yaḥ
—
you who
arka
—
of the sun
indu
—
of the moon
agni
—
of Agni, the fire-god
indra
—
of Indra, the lord of heaven
vāyūnām
—
of Vāyu, the wind-god
yama
—
of Yama, the god of punishment
dharma
—
of Dharma, the god of piety
pracetasām
—
and of Varuṇa, the god of the waters
rūpāṇi
—
the forms
sthāne
—
when necessary
ādhatse
—
you assume
tasmai
—
unto Him
śuklāya
—
unto Lord Viṣṇu
te
—
unto you
namaḥ
—
obeisances.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yo ’rkendv-agnīndra-vāyūnāṁ
yama-dharma-pracetasām
yaḥ
you who
arka
of the sun
indu
of the moon
agni
of Agni, the fire-god
indra
of Indra, the lord of heaven
vāyūnām
of Vāyu, the wind-god
rūpāṇi sthāna ādhatse
tasmai śuklāya te namaḥ
yama
of Yama, the god of punishment
dharma
of Dharma, the god of piety
pracetasām
and of Varuṇa, the god of the waters
rūpāṇi
the forms
sthāne
when necessary
ādhatse
you assume
tasmai
unto Him
śuklāya
unto Lord Viṣṇu
te
unto you
namaḥ
obeisances.
When necessary, You assume the part of the sun-god; the moon-god; Agni, the god of fire; Indra, the lord of paradise; Vāyu, the wind-god; Yama, the god of punishment; Dharma, the god of piety; and Varuṇa, the god presiding over the waters. All obeisances to you, who are none other than Lord Viṣṇu!
Purport
Since the sage Kardama was a brāhmaṇa and Svāyambhuva was a kṣatriya, the sage was not supposed to offer obeisances to the King because socially his position was greater than the King’s. But he offered his obeisances to Svāyambhuva Manu because as Manu, king and emperor, he was the representative of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is always worshipable, regardless of whether one is a brāhmaṇa, a kṣatriya or a śūdra. As the representative of the Supreme Lord, the King deserved respectful obeisances from everyone.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
I offer respects to you, a pure being, who suitably take the form of the sun, moon, fire, Indra, Vāyu, Yama, Dharma and Varuṇa.
You completely (ā) accept the forms of the sun and others in a suitable way (sthane). You are the sun because of your majesty. You are the moon because of your fame. You are fire because of your invincibility. You are Indra because of your lordship. You are Vāyu because you enter everywhere. You are Yama because you punish the sinful. You are Dharma because you protect the righteous. You are Varuṇa because you are deep and have hidden treasure. Therefore I offer respects to you, the Lord in another form, who have come to my cottage
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Worship in this verse is described as the soul's most natural language, the one we forget we already know. The verse invites us to use it without dressing it up.
Reflection Questions
- What honest sentence would you say to the Lord right now if no one else could hear?
- Whom could you teach to pray honestly, even briefly, this week?
My note
Source: vedabase.io