Shloka 19

Ajāna Lineages, Divine Classes, Ṛṣi Catalogues, and the Merit of Śravaṇa-Smaraṇa

Devanagari script

तदनन्तराजान्वक्ष्ये शृणु त्वं द्विजसत्तम / अष्टाभ्यो देवगन्धर्वा अष्टोत्तरशतं विना

Transliteration

tadanantarājānvakṣye śṛṇu tvaṃ dvijasattama / aṣṭābhyo devagandharvā aṣṭottaraśataṃ vinā

Translation

والآن سأصف الملوك اللاحقين—فاستمع، يا أفضلَ ذوي الولادتين. إن الغندهرفا الإلهيين عددهم مئةٌ وثمانية، دون احتساب الثمانية الرئيسيين.

Word by Word

• तत्: then
• तत्: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adverbial use (क्रियाविशेषणवत्), ‘then/thereupon’

• अनन्तरजान्: the later-born
• अनन्तरजान्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनन्तर + ज (प्रातिपदिक); अनन्तरज (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• वक्ष्ये: I shall tell
• वक्ष्ये: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: Luṭ (लुट्/Future), Uttama-puruṣa (1st person/उत्तमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ (लोट्/Imperative), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person/मध्यमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; addressee)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (Common gender), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• द्विजसत्तम: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजसत्तम: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक); द्विजसत्तम (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• अष्टाभ्यः: from eight (of them)
• अष्टाभ्यः: Apadana (अपादान/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (Common gender by usage), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• देवगन्धर्वाः: divine Gandharvas
• देवगन्धर्वाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक); देवगन्धर्व (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• अष्टोत्तरशतम्: one hundred and eight
• अष्टोत्तरशतम्: Karma (कर्म/Object; number)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्ट + उत्तर + शत (प्रातिपदिक); अष्टोत्तरशत (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); numeral compound

• विना: without/except
• विना: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Exclusion relation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: Prepositional indeclinable (उपपद-अव्यय), governs Accusative (द्वितीया)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to a twice-born interlocutor as addressed in the verse)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Cosmic taxonomy: precise enumeration as a Purāṇic method to convey ordered knowledge of subtle beings.

Vedantic Theme: Acceptance of graded cosmology (adhikāra-bheda) and structured universe as a backdrop for dharma and devotion.

Application: Use structured learning—lists, categories, careful listening—to retain complex traditional knowledge; cultivate disciplined attention (śravaṇa) in study.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: cosmological enumerations of devas, gandharvas, pitṛs, and other classes across sarga-related passages

Characters & Entities

• Gandharvas
• Devas
• Rajas (kings)

FAQs

What is the importance of enumerating Gandharvas in the Garuda Purana?

This verse signals a structured cosmological catalog: by giving specific counts and categories, the text situates later discussions (including afterlife realms and divine jurisdictions) within an ordered Puranic universe.

How does this verse connect to the Garuda Purana’s after-death teachings?

Preta Kanda often frames the soul’s journey within a broader map of beings and realms; listing divine classes like Gandharvas provides the background taxonomy used when describing otherworldly regions, rulers, and attendants.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use it as a reminder to approach Garuda Purana study systematically—track categories, numbers, and terms—so ritual and ethical teachings are understood within their intended cosmological framework.