Shloka 15

Hikkā-nidāna: Causes, Types, and the Grave Yamalā/Veginī Hiccup

Devanagari script

हिक्राश्वासौ यथा तौ हि मृत्युकाले कृतालयौ

Transliteration

hikrāśvāsau yathā tau hi mṛtyukāle kṛtālayau

Translation

So wie jene beiden — Schluckauf und mühsames Atmen — wahrlich zur Zeit des Todes Wohnung nehmen.

Word by Word

• हिक्रा: hiccup
• हिक्रा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिक्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समुच्चित-समासपूर्वपद (हिक्रा+श्वासौ इति द्वन्द्वे)

• श्वासौ: breathing difficulty / dyspnea
• श्वासौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; हिक्रा-श्वासौ इति द्वन्द्वार्थे

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/तुलनार्थक (comparative particle: “as/just as”)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/causal particle: “indeed/for”)

• मृत्युकाले: at the time of death
• मृत्युकाले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु-काल (प्रातिपदिक; मृत्यु + काल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मृत्योः कालः)

• कृतालयौ: having made their abode / having settled
• कृतालयौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत-आलय (प्रातिपदिक; कृ (धातु) + आलय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (कृत = made/formed), तत्पुरुषः (कृतः आलयः यस्य/ययोः) विशेषणम्

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Mṛtyu-lakṣaṇa (signs of impending death) as a prompt for detachment and remembrance of the divine.

Vedantic Theme: Anityatā (impermanence) of the body; the self is distinct from prāṇa’s disturbances.

Application: Use awareness of mortality to prioritize sādhana, settle duties, and cultivate calm remembrance (especially nāma-smaraṇa) rather than panic.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: descriptions of death-signs (mṛtyu-lakṣaṇa) and the dying process; Garuda Purana: teachings on anta-kāla smaraṇa and the soul’s departure

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Mrityu (Death)

FAQs

What is the importance of hiccup and laboured breathing in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats hiccup and disturbed respiration as notable end-of-life indicators, marking the body’s prāṇa becoming unstable at the time of death.

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

By highlighting changes in breathing at mṛtyu-kāla, it points to the moment when vital functions wane—an immediate prelude to the jīva’s separation from the physical body described elsewhere in the Preta Kanda.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

It encourages mindful end-of-life care: maintain calm surroundings, support steady breathing, and prepare for appropriate rites and remembrance rather than panic when such signs appear.