Shloka 49
Sat-saṅga, Dharma-Nīti, Karma-Phala, Śauca, and Vairāgya
Overcoming Grief
नाप्राप्तकालो म्रियते विद्धः शरशतैरपि / कुशाग्रेण तु संस्पृष्टं प्राप्तकालो न जीवति
nāprāptakālo mriyate viddhaḥ śaraśatairapi / kuśāgreṇa tu saṃspṛṣṭaṃ prāptakālo na jīvati
Wessen bestimmte Zeit noch nicht gekommen ist, der stirbt nicht, selbst wenn ihn Hunderte Pfeile durchbohren; ist die Zeit jedoch gekommen, so lebt er nicht einmal, wenn ihn nur die Spitze eines Kuśa-Halms berührt.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Death occurs only when the destined time ripens; external causes are secondary to kāla/karma’s maturation.
Vedantic Theme: Kāla as an instrument of īśvara; prārabdha-karma determining the span of embodied experience.
Application: Reduce anxiety by focusing on right action and inner preparedness rather than obsessive control; cultivate remembrance of the transient body and steadiness in risk.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: universal (no specific place)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.113.50–51 (destined attainments; karma ripens in its own time).
FAQs
This verse states that death occurs when one’s destined time—shaped by karma—has arrived; until then, even severe injury may not result in death.
By emphasizing that death happens at prāptakāla, the text frames the soul’s departure as karmically timed, after which post-death rites and the onward journey (preta-related teachings) become relevant.
Live with dharma and awareness of impermanence: avoid recklessness, but also reduce fear by understanding that life and death are portrayed as governed by karma and time.