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Kimekam Daivatam Loke Meaning — Line by Line

किमेकं दैवतं लोके

Every verse and every word explained in English & Hindi

Meaning — Line by Line

Every verse of Kimekam Daivatam Loke with its English meaning. Tap any word to hear it, or ▶ to recite the verse.

Verse 1#

Yudhishthira uvacha —

युधिष्ठिर उवाच किमेकं दैवतं लोके किं वाप्येकं परायणम् स्तुवन्तः कं कमर्चन्तः प्राप्नुयुर्मानवाः शुभम् को धर्मः सर्वधर्माणां भवतः परमो मतः किं जपन्मुच्यते जन्तुर्जन्मसंसारबन्धनात्

Yudhishthira uvacha — Kimekam daivatam loke kim vapyekam parayanam Stuvantah kam kamarchantah prapnuyurmanavah shubham Ko dharmah sarvadharmanam bhavatah paramo matah Kim japanmuchyate janturjanmasamsarabandhanat

MeaningYudhishthira asked: Who is the one Deity in the world? What is the one supreme refuge? By praising and worshipping whom do human beings attain what is auspicious? Which, in your view, is the highest of all dharmas? And by chanting what is a creature freed from the bondage of birth and worldly existence?

Verse 2#

Bhishma uvacha —

भीष्म उवाच जगत्प्रभुं देवदेवमनन्तं पुरुषोत्तमम् स्तुवन् नामसहस्रेण पुरुषः सततोत्थितः एष मे सर्वधर्माणां धर्मोऽधिकतमो मतः यद्भक्त्या पुण्डरीकाक्षं स्तवैरर्चेन्नरः सदा

Bhishma uvacha — Jagatprabhum devadevamanantam purushottamam Stuvan namasahasrena purushah satatotthitah Esha me sarvadharmanam dharmodhikatamo matah Yadbhaktya pundarikaksham stavairarchennarah sada

MeaningBhishma replied: He who, ever steadfast, praises with the thousand names the Lord of the universe, the God of gods, the infinite Supreme Person — that, I hold, is the highest of all dharmas: that a person should always, with devotion, worship the lotus-eyed Lord (Vishnu) with hymns of praise.

Word-by-Word Breakdown

युधिष्ठिर उवाच
Yudhishthira uvacha
Yudhishthira said
किम् एकं दैवतं लोके
Kim ekam daivatam loke
Who is the one Deity in the world?
किं वा अपि एकं परायणम्
Kim va api ekam parayanam
What is the one supreme refuge / goal?
स्तुवन्तः कम्
Stuvantah kam
By praising whom
कम् अर्चन्तः
Kam archantah
By worshipping whom
प्राप्नुयुः मानवाः शुभम्
Prapnuyuh manavah shubham
Do humans attain what is auspicious (welfare)?
कः धर्मः सर्वधर्माणाम्
Kah dharmah sarvadharmanam
Which is the highest of all dharmas?
किं जपन् मुच्यते
Kim japan muchyate
By chanting what is a being liberated?
जन्मसंसारबन्धनात्
Janma-samsara-bandhanat
From the bondage of birth and worldly existence
भीष्म उवाच
Bhishma uvacha
Bhishma replied
जगत्प्रभुम्
Jagat-prabhum
The Lord of the universe
देवदेवम् अनन्तम्
Deva-devam anantam
The God of gods, the infinite one
पुरुषोत्तमम्
Purushottamam
The Supreme Person (Vishnu)
नामसहस्रेण
Nama-sahasrena
With the thousand names
सततोत्थितः
Satatotthitah
Ever vigilant and steadfast (in praise)
धर्मः अधिकतमः मतः
Dharmah adhikatamah matah
Is considered the highest dharma
पुण्डरीकाक्षम्
Pundarikaksham
The lotus-eyed Lord (Vishnu)

Origin & History

Source: Vishnu Sahasranamam (opening dialogue), Mahabharata, Anushasana Parva

Author: Sage Veda Vyasa (as spoken by Bhishma)

Period: Itihasa / Mahabharata era

After the great Kurukshetra war, the patriarch Bhishma lay mortally wounded on a bed of arrows, awaiting the auspicious time to leave his body. Yudhishthira approached him with questions on the highest truths. In response to 'Who is the one God, and what frees a being from rebirth?', Bhishma taught the Vishnu Sahasranamam, declaring the praise of Vishnu's thousand names to be the supreme dharma. This dialogue forms its invocation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does 'Kimekam Daivatam Loke' come from?
It is the opening dialogue of the Vishnu Sahasranamam, found in the Anushasana Parva of the Mahabharata, where Yudhishthira questions Bhishma as the grandsire lies on his bed of arrows.
What are Yudhishthira's six questions?
He asks: who is the one God, what is the one supreme refuge, by worshipping whom do people gain welfare, which is the highest dharma, and by chanting what is one freed from the cycle of birth and death.
What is Bhishma's answer?
Bhishma replies that the highest dharma is to praise Vishnu — the lotus-eyed Lord of the universe and Supreme Person — with His thousand names, always and with devotion. This introduces the Vishnu Sahasranamam.

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