Shloka 28

Gradations of Bliss and Knowledge; Lakṣmī’s Special Insight; The Rarity of Bhakti in Kali-yuga; Nīlā’s Vow and Śrīnivāsa Darśana

Devanagari script

कन्यैव सा कृष्णपत्नी च कामांस्तांस्तान् भजेन्मनसा चिन्तितांश्च / अतीव यत्नं कव्यवाहं खगेन्द्र पितृष्वेकः सर्वदा वै चकार

Transliteration

kanyaiva sā kṛṣṇapatnī ca kāmāṃstāṃstān bhajenmanasā cintitāṃśca / atīva yatnaṃ kavyavāhaṃ khagendra pitṛṣvekaḥ sarvadā vai cakāra

Translation

هي—مع أنها عذراء—صارت أيضًا زوجة لكريشنا، وبقلبها نالت تلك الرغبات، حتى ما كانت قد تأملته في خاطرها. يا خاغيندرا (غارودا)، إن كافيَفاهَا، نارَ القربان الحاملةَ للقرابين، هو وحده الذي كان دائمًا يقوم بطقوس الأسلاف بأعظم اجتهاد.

Word by Word

• kanyā: a maiden
• kanyā: Karta (कर्ता) / apposition to ‘sā’
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avadhāraṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avadhāraṇa-nipāta

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• kṛṣṇa-patnī: Kṛṣṇa’s wife
• kṛṣṇa-patnī: Karta (कर्ता) / apposition
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa + patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa ‘wife of Kṛṣṇa’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta

• kāmān: desired objects/wishes
• kāmān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana

• tān: those
• tān: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of ‘kāmān’
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; demonstrative qualifying ‘kāmān’

• tān: those very
• tān: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; repetition for emphasis

• bhajet: should worship/seek
• bhajet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhaj (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ/vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्, Optative), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd/प्रथम), Ekavacana; ‘should worship/seek’

• manasā: with the mind
• manasā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana; instrumental ‘by mind’

• cintitān: thought-of, desired
• cintitān: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cintita (कृदन्त; √cint)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; past passive participle used adjectivally qualifying ‘kāmān’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta

• atīva: exceedingly
• atīva: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atīva (अव्यय)
• Form: Atiśaya-avyaya (अतिशय-अव्यय) intensifier adverb

• yatnam: effort
• yatnam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; object of ‘cakāra’ (made effort)

• kavyavāham: Kavyavāha (Agni)
• kavyavāham: Karma (कर्म) / object of implied action (addressed/propitiated)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kavyavāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; ‘carrier of offerings to Pitṛs’ (a form/name of Agni)

• khagendra: O lord of birds
• khagendra: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: khaga + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana, Ekavacana

• pitṛṣu: among the ancestors (Pitṛs)
• pitṛṣu: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī, Bahuvacana; locative ‘among the Pitṛs’

• ekaḥ: alone/one
• ekaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa of implied karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; qualifies subject (Kavyavāha)

• sarvadā: always
• sarvadā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Kāla-avyaya adverb

• vai: indeed
• vai: Avadhāraṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Niścaya-nipāta (निश्चय-निपात) emphatic particle

• cakāra: did/made
• cakāra: Kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ (लिट्, Perfect), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Parvana

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: As nitya/naimittika pitṛ-kārya performed with great care (implied, not calendrically specified).

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Manasa-bhajana (mental worship) can fructify desired ends; yet ritual duty (pitṛ-kārya) is upheld as a serious, effortful obligation.

Vedantic Theme: Īśvara as the inner bestower of phala; karma (ritual action) operates within divine dispensation while bhakti directs the mind to the supreme object.

Application: Cultivate steady inner remembrance alongside conscientious performance of family rites; treat śrāddha/pitṛ-kārya as a disciplined responsibility.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa/Śrāddha sections describing Agni as carrier of offerings (kavyavāha) and the necessity of pitṛ-kriyā; Narratives emphasizing manasa-bhakti as efficacious in Garuda Purana devotional passages

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Garuda (Khagendra)
• Kavyavāha (Agni)
• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the importance of Kavyavāha (Agni) in Garuda Purana ancestral rites?

This verse highlights that Kavyavāha—the sacrificial Fire—functions as the principal carrier of offerings to the Pitṛs, emphasizing Agni’s indispensable role in śrāddha-style rites.

How does this verse connect desires (kāma) with religious merit in Garuda Purana?

It suggests that mentally formed intentions and contemplated aims can bear fruit, while also stressing that ritual channels—especially fire in pitṛ rites—are the ordained means for transmitting offerings and merit.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Maintain purity of intention (mindful desires) and, when performing śrāddha/pitṛ offerings, prioritize correct procedure with Agni or authorized ritual substitutes so offerings are made in a dharmic, respectful way.