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Shloka 55

The Extent of Questions: Deathbed Rites, Kāla (Time), and Karma-Vipāka Rebirths

Devanagari script

अस्पृश्यं कुत्सनीयं च तत्क्षणादेव जायते / उक्तं मृत्योः स्वरूपं तु प्रसङ्गादन्यदप्यथ

Transliteration

aspṛśyaṃ kutsanīyaṃ ca tatkṣaṇādeva jāyate / uktaṃ mṛtyoḥ svarūpaṃ tu prasaṅgādanyadapyatha

Translation

ومن تلك اللحظة بعينها يصير المرء «مُنبوذًا لا يُمَسّ» وموضعَ لومٍ وازدراء. وهكذا وُصِفَتْ حقيقةُ الموت؛ وفي السياق نفسه سيُقال أيضًا أمرٌ آخر.

Word by Word
अस्पृश्यम्untouchable, impure
अस्पृश्यम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeAdjective
Rootअस्पृश्य (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √स्पृश् (धातु) + अ- उपसर्ग/निषेध)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; नञ्-पूर्वक विशेषण (untouchable)
कुत्सनीयम्censurable, blameworthy
कुत्सनीयम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeAdjective
Rootकुत्सनीय (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √कुत्स् (धातु) + अनीयर् प्रत्यय)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be censured)
चand
च:
Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)
तत्क्षणात्from that very moment
तत्क्षणात्:
Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
Formतत्पुरुषसमास (तस्मिन् क्षणे); पञ्चमी विभक्ति-एकवचन रूपेण अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः (ablatival adverbial: 'from that very moment')
एवindeed, just
एव:
Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव (अव्यय)
Formअवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)
जायतेarises, is born
जायते:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√जन् (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (present: 'is born/arises')
उक्तम्said, stated
उक्तम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeAdjective
Root√वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle: 'said')
मृत्योःof death
मृत्योः:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootमृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive)
स्वरूपम्nature, form
स्वरूपम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootस्वरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन
तुbut, indeed
तु:
Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु (अव्यय)
Formविरोध/विशेषार्थक अव्यय (but/indeed)
प्रसङ्गात्from the occasion, incidentally
प्रसङ्गात्:
Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
TypeNoun
Rootप्रसङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (ablative: 'from/through occasion')
अन्यत्something else
अन्यत्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeAdjective
Rootअन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (as pronoun/adjective: 'other')
अपिalso, even
अपि:
Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअपि (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चय/सम्भावनार्थक अव्यय (also/even)
अथthen, now
अथ:
Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअथ (अव्यय)
Formअनन्तर/प्रारम्भार्थक अव्यय (then/now)
Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: At death’s onset one becomes socially/ritually ‘aspr̥śya’ and censured; death is a liminal force that alters one’s standing and triggers prescribed responses.

Vedantic Theme: Anityatā (impermanence) and dehābhimāna-bhaṅga (breaking identification with the body) as a prelude to understanding the jīva’s onward course.

Application: Treat death as a dharmic threshold: maintain composure, follow appropriate purity/last-rites protocols, and cultivate detachment and remembrance of the divine.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa 2.2 (context: description of death and ensuing journey)

Characters & Entities
M
Mrityu (Death)

FAQs

This verse links death with an immediate state of aspṛśyatā (ritual untouchability), indicating why post-death rules and purificatory rites are prescribed in the tradition.

It marks the instant transition at death: the living social-ritual status changes at once, and the text signals that further details about Death and the post-death condition will be explained next.

Treat death as a serious ritual threshold: follow appropriate mourning/purification observances with dignity, avoid negligence, and cultivate detachment by remembering life’s impermanence.

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