Akasat Patitam Toyam

आकाशात् पतितं तोयं यथागच्छति सागरम् ।
सर्वदेव नमस्कारः केशवं प्रतिगच्छति ॥

ākāśāt patitaṃ toyaṃ yathāgacchati sāgaram .
sarvadeva namaskāraḥ keśavaṃ pratigacchati ..

Just as water fallen from the sky goes to the ocean, so too all salutations to the gods reach Keshava (Krishna/Vishnu).

Word Meaning
आकाशात् (ākāśāt) – from the sky/space
पतितं (patitaṃ) – fallen/dropped
तोयं (toyaṃ) – water
यथा (yathā) – just as
गच्छति (gacchati) – goes/reaches
सागरम् (sāgaram) – to the ocean
सर्व (sarva) – all
देव (deva) – gods/deities
नमस्कारः (namaskāraḥ) – salutations/bowing
केशवं (keśavaṃ) – to Keshava/Krishna/Vishnu
प्रतिगच्छति (pratigacchati) – reaches/goes toward

Description

The beauty of this verse lies in its profound metaphor – all water, whether falling as rain on mountain peaks or cascading in mighty waterfalls, must inevitably find its way back to its eternal Source, the Ocean. Similarly, all prayers and acts of devotion – whether whispered in temples or offered in silent solitude, whether expressed through ancient mantras or heartfelt words in any tongue – must ultimately reach their Source, the one Paramatma. Just as the ocean receives every drop as its own regardless of the journey taken, so too does the Divine Lord embrace all sincere devotion as ultimately offered to the one eternal Reality that pervades all names and forms.

This verse expresses the fundamental Vedantic principle that despite apparent multiplicity, there is ultimately one underlying reality. All forms of worship, regardless of the deity invoked, ultimately reach the same Supreme Reality (Brahman/Vishnu/Ishwara/Paramatma). This supports the concept that different deities are manifestations of one Reality.

The verse also embodies the classical Hindu theological position of Ishta-devata (chosen deity) within Advaita (non-dualism).

This principle is directly supported by Krishna’s teachings in the Bhagavad Gita:

Chapter 7, Verse 21:
यो यो यां यां तनुं भक्तः श्रद्धयाऽर्चितुमिच्छति।
तस्य तस्याचलां श्रद्धां तामेव विदधाम्यहम्॥
“Whatever form a devotee with faith desires to worship, I make that very faith of his steady.”
And in the following verse:

Chapter 7, Verse 22:
स तया श्रद्धया युक्तस्तस्याराधनमीहते।
लभते च ततः कामान्मयैव विहितान्हि तान्॥
“Endowed with that faith, he seeks to propitiate that deity and obtains his desires. But it is I alone who bestow them.”

Chapter 9, Verse 23:
येऽप्यन्यदेवताभक्ता यजन्ते श्रद्धयान्विताः।
तेऽपि मामेव कौन्तेय यजन्त्यविधिपूर्वकम्॥
“Even those who worship other deities with faith, they too worship Me alone, O Arjuna, though not according to the prescribed method.”

These verses demonstrate that Krishna, as the embodiment of the Supreme Reality, receives all acts of devotion irrespective of their source or which deity is being worshipped – a teaching that finds perfect expression in the water-ocean analogy of the above verse, where all water naturally flows to its source regardless of where it initially falls.

Note: This quote is included within the Mahāsubhāṣitasaṃgraha (महासुभाषितसंग्रह, maha-subhashita-samgraha / subhasita-sangraha), which is a compendium of Sanskrit aphorisms (subhāṣita), collected from various sources. Subhāṣita is a genre of Sanskrit literature, exposing the vast and rich cultural heritage of ancient India.

Other Vishnu Shlokams

Akasat Patitam Toyam – Vishnu – In Sanskrit with English Transliteration, Translation and Meaning. Commentary for selected Shlokams.