Shloka 27

Āyuḥ-kṣaya by Vikarma; Impermanence of the Body; Aśauca and Child Śrāddha Procedures; Dāna as Remedy

Devanagari script

गर्भवासाद्विनिर्मुक्तस्त्वज्ञानतिमिरावृतः / न जानातिः खगश्रेष्ठ बालभावं समाश्रितः

Transliteration

garbhavāsādvinirmuktastvajñānatimirāvṛtaḥ / na jānātiḥ khagaśreṣṭha bālabhāvaṃ samāśritaḥ

Translation

مع أنه قد تحرّر من ضيق الرحم، إلا أنه مُغطّى بظلمة الجهل؛ فلا يدري شيئًا، يا أكرمَ الطير (غارودا)، إذ قد احتمى بحال الطفولة فبقي غافلًا.

Word by Word

• गर्भवासात्: from womb-dwelling
• गर्भवासात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ-वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गर्भस्य वासः)

• विनिर्मुक्तः: released/freed
• विनिर्मुक्तः: Kartṛ-predicative (Subject complement/कर्तृपूरक)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-निर्-√मुच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपसर्गाः वि-, निर्-; अर्थे ‘मुक्तः’

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (particle ‘but/indeed’)

• अज्ञानतिमिरावृतः: covered by the darkness of ignorance
• अज्ञानतिमिरावृतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अज्ञान-तिमिर-आवृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘(सः)’ इति विशेषणम्; समासः तत्पुरुषः (अज्ञानरूपेण तिमिरेण आवृतः)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negator/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• जानाति: knows
• जानाति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• खगश्रेष्ठ: O best of birds
• खगश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खग-श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (खगः एव श्रेष्ठः)

• बालभावम्: childhood state
• बालभावम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल-भाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (बालस्य भावः)

• समाश्रितः: having resorted to/entered
• समाश्रितः: Kartṛ-predicative (Subject complement/कर्तृपूरक)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-√श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपसर्गाः सम्-, आ-; अर्थे ‘आश्रितः/प्राप्तः’

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even after escaping womb-confinement, the jīva is covered by avidyā; infancy symbolizes the default state of non-recognition of truth.

Vedantic Theme: Avidyā-āvaraṇa (veil of ignorance) obscuring the Self; saṃskāra and māyā causing forgetfulness across births.

Application: Treat human life as a recovery of lost knowledge: cultivate śravaṇa-manana (listening and reflection), and build habits that counter forgetfulness.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: threshold (birth transition)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: dialogues addressing Garuḍa (‘khagaśreṣṭha’) on the jīva’s condition and ignorance across births

Characters & Entities

• Garuda (Khageshvara)

FAQs

What is the importance of ignorance (ajñāna) in this Garuda Purana verse?

It explains that even after birth, the jīva is still covered by ajñāna, so consciousness and understanding do not immediately manifest; infancy is portrayed as a condition of unawareness.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul (jīva) after taking birth?

The verse indicates that the transition from womb to birth does not instantly produce knowledge; the jīva enters bālabhāva (infancy), where awareness is obscured, shaping early life as a phase of forgetting and limitation.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat early life and human development with patience and compassion, and prioritize education, dharma, and saṃskāras as ways to gradually remove ignorance.