Shloka 15

Ahaṅkāra-Tripartition and the Rise of Indriyas, Devatās, and Cosmic Administrators

Devanagari script

ततस्त्वगात्मा ह्यभवत्सोहं कारिक ईरितः / ततः पाण्यात्मकाश्चैव जज्ञिरे पक्षिसत्तम

Transliteration

tatastvagātmā hyabhavatsohaṃ kārika īritaḥ / tataḥ pāṇyātmakāścaiva jajñire pakṣisattama

Translation

ثم وُجِدَ مبدأُ الجلد—بوصفه ملكةَ الإحساس الخارجية للجسد—وهذا يُعلَن بقول: «أنا هو ذاك»، يا كاريكا. وبعد ذلك، يا أفضلَ الطير (غارودا)، وُلِدَت الأيدي أيضًا كملكاتٍ متجسِّدة.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, kāla/krama-avyaya (then/thereafter)

• tvak-ātmā: the one whose essence is skin (skin-principle)
• tvak-ātmā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvac/tvak (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक) (समास)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Ekavacana (singular)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध-बोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, nipāta (emphatic particle)

• abhavat: became/was
• abhavat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: Laṅ-lakāra (Imperfect/past), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana (singular)

• saḥ: he/that
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Ekavacana (singular)

• ahaṃkārikaḥ: arising from ego (ahaṃkāra-born)
• ahaṃkārikaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ahaṃkāra (प्रातिपदिक) + -ika (तद्धित)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Ekavacana (singular); तद्धितान्त विशेषण (taddhitānta adjective)

• īritaḥ: is said/declared
• īritaḥ: Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: īr (धातु)
• Form: Kta-pratyaya past passive participle (क्त), Puṃliṅga (masculine), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Ekavacana (singular)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, krama-avyaya (thereafter)

• pāṇi-ātmakāḥ: those whose essence is hands (hand-principles)
• pāṇi-ātmakāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक) (समास)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Bahuvacana (plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, samuccaya (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध-बोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, avadhāraṇa (restrictive particle)

• jajñire: were born/arose
• jajñire: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (Perfect), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Bahuvacana (plural); ātmanepada

• pakṣi-sattama: O best of birds
• pakṣi-sattama: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣin (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक) (समास)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Sambodhana (Vocative), Ekavacana (singular)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Indriya/tattva origination: skin as a sensory principle and hands as karmendriyas; the ‘so’ham’/identity formula is invoked as a doctrinal marker.

Vedantic Theme: Distinguishing Self from instruments (indriyas); recognizing ‘I am That’ as pointer to non-dual identity beyond body-faculties.

Application: Use body-faculty awareness for dis-identification: observe touch and action as functions, not the Self; practice so’ham contemplation alongside mindful action.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana (cosmogony/adhyatma passages): lists of indriyas and their devata correspondences; Garuda Purana (didactic sections): so’ham-style identity statements (general thematic link)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda (Pakṣisattama)

FAQs

What is the importance of subtle-body formation in the Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights that after death, specific faculties (like skin and hands) are described as arising in sequence, supporting the Purana’s teaching that the preta experiences results through a subtle, function-bearing body.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

By describing the emergence of faculties such as skin and hands, the text implies that the departed being is equipped to undergo post-death experiences and karmic consequences in Yama’s domain through a subtle embodiment.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

It encourages mindful, ethical use of the body and its faculties (touch, action), since these instruments are tied to karma and its aftereffects as taught in the Garuda Purana.