Shloka 76

Jñāna-hetu-nirūpaṇa

On the Causes/Means of Knowledge

Devanagari script

गुल्माद्याश्च मनुष्यान्तास्ते ज्ञेया ब्रह्मबाहवः / अस्मच्छतायुः पर्यन्तमेक एव कलिः स्मृतः

Transliteration

gulmādyāśca manuṣyāntāste jñeyā brahmabāhavaḥ / asmacchatāyuḥ paryantameka eva kaliḥ smṛtaḥ

Translation

Von Sträuchern und dergleichen bis hin zum Menschen—all dies ist als die «Arme» (manifest gewordene Ausdehnungen) Brahmās zu verstehen. Bis zur Grenze unserer hundertjährigen Lebensspanne gilt, dass nur ein einziges Kali-Zeitalter vorherrscht.

Word by Word

• गुल्म-आद्याः: those beginning with gulma etc.
• गुल्म-आद्याः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुल्म (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषण—‘गुल्मादि’ (beginning with shrubs/thickets)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• मनुष्य-अन्ताः: ending with humans
• मनुष्य-अन्ताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण—‘मनुष्यपर्यन्त’ (ending with humans)

• ते: they/those
• ते: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• ज्ञेयाः: to be known
• ज्ञेयाः: Vidheyavisheshana (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) → ज्ञेय (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विधिलिङ्गार्थक-भाव्य/कर्तव्यतार्थक कृदन्त (gerundive: ‘to be known’)

• ब्रह्म-बाहवः: the arms of Brahmā
• ब्रह्म-बाहवः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (brahmaṇaḥ bāhavaḥ)

• अस्मत्-शत-आयुः: (our) hundred-year lifespan
• अस्मत्-शत-आयुः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक) + आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण—‘our hundred-year lifespan’; समासः (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध)

• पर्यन्तम्: up to, until
• पर्यन्तम्: Desha/Kaala-adhikarana (अधिकरण—सीमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर्यन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावार्थे अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; ‘up to/until’ (limit marker)

• एकः: one, single
• एकः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संख्या-विशेषण

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• कलिः: Kali (age/personified)
• कलिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• स्मृतः: is said/considered
• स्मृतः: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle) — ‘is said/remembered’

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: All beings from plants to humans are extensions (‘arms’) of Brahmā; within our hundred-year horizon, Kali is the prevailing condition.

Vedantic Theme: Virāṭ/cosmic-body intuition and the unity of manifested life; time (kāla) as conditioning factor for dharma and cognition.

Application: Cultivate reverence for life and ecological humility; recognize Kali-like constraints (confusion, decline) and practice steadiness and discernment.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: cosmology/creation accounts (sarga) and yuga descriptions (general)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Kali (Kali-yuga)

FAQs

What is the importance of describing beings as the 'arms of Brahma' in the Garuda Purana?

It frames all life—from vegetation to humans—as part of a single cosmic body, encouraging reverence for creation and responsibility in dharmic conduct.

How does this verse relate to Kali Yuga in the Garuda Purana?

It notes that within the scope of a typical human lifespan (about a hundred years), one experiences the same overarching Kali condition—moral decline and spiritual challenge—rather than multiple ages.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat all forms of life with restraint and respect, and practice steadiness in dharma knowing that Kali’s pressures persist throughout one’s life.