Shloka 139

Vṛṣotsarga (Bull-Release Gift): Procedure, Merit, and Narratives on Dharma, Karma, and Liberation

Devanagari script

धर्मराजो ऽपि राजानं प्रशस्येदमुवाच ह / नीयतां देवलोकाय यत्र भोगाः सुपुष्कलाः

Transliteration

dharmarājo 'pi rājānaṃ praśasyedamuvāca ha / nīyatāṃ devalokāya yatra bhogāḥ supuṣkalāḥ

Translation

ধর্মরাজ যমও রাজাকে প্রশংসা করে বললেন— “একে দেবলোকে নিয়ে যাও, যেখানে ভোগ-সুখ অতি প্রাচুর্যে আছে।”

Word by Word

• dharmarājaḥ: Dharmarāja (Yama)
• dharmarājaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma + rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—धर्मस्य राजा (यमः)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle)—समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थः “also/even”

• rājānam: the king
• rājānam: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• praśasya: having praised
• praśasya: Kriya-viseshana (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√śaṃs (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय—“having praised”

• idam: this
• idam: Karman (Object of ‘said’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ha: indeed
• ha: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), कथन-प्रत्यय/स्मरणार्थक—“indeed/it is said”

• nīyatām: let (him) be taken
• nīyatām: Kriya (Injunctive/command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √nī (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन—आज्ञार्थः “let (him) be led”

• devalokāya: to the world of the gods
• devalokāya: Sampradana (Recipient/goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—देवानां लोकः

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (relative adverb)—“where”

• bhogāḥ: enjoyments
• bhogāḥ: Karta (Subject of implied ‘are’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• supuṣkalāḥ: very abundant
• supuṣkalāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier of bhogāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su + puṣkala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; उपसर्गपूर्वक विशेषण

Speaker

Dharmaraja (Yama)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Svarga

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Karmaphala is administered through Dharmarāja; merit leads to higher realms of enjoyment.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-kāṇḍa phala-bhoga within saṃsāra: heavenly reward is still within conditioned experience.

Application: Cultivate puṇya through ethical living and charity, while remembering that svarga is a temporary station, not final liberation.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: celestial realm

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: Dharmarāja’s adjudication and assignment to svarga/naraka

Characters & Entities

• Dharmaraja (Yama)
• King
• Devaloka
• Devas

FAQs

What is the importance of Devaloka in the Garuda Purana?

In this verse, Devaloka is presented as a post-death destination granted by Dharmarāja to the deserving, characterized by abundant enjoyments that arise as the fruits of merit (puṇya).

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

It shows a judgment-and-destination model: after assessment by Dharmarāja, a virtuous person (here, a king) can be directed away from punitive realms and led upward to Devaloka for enjoyment of earned karmic results.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live in a way that earns praiseworthy merit—ethical rule, truthfulness, charity, and dharma—since the text frames afterlife experience as a consequence of one’s conduct and accumulated karma.