Shloka 119

Multi-form Manifestations, Indra–Kāma Incarnations, Pravāha, and the Twofold Buddhi

Sense-Discipline and Exclusive Refuge in Viṣṇu

Devanagari script

तथैव दष्ट्वा पिचुमन्दस्य पत्रं सुनर्तयित्वा परमादरेण / यदा तदा यमदूतैश्च पाशैर्बद्ध्वाबद्ध्वा ताड्यमानश्च सम्यक्

Transliteration

tathaiva daṣṭvā picumandasya patraṃ sunartayitvā paramādareṇa / yadā tadā yamadūtaiśca pāśairbaddhvābaddhvā tāḍyamānaśca samyak

Translation

Ebenso: Nachdem er in das Blatt des Picumanda-Baumes gebissen und es mit größter Anstrengung wie tanzend bewegt hat, wird er von Yamas Boten immer wieder mit Schlingen gebunden, wieder gelöst und dann gründlich geschlagen.

Word by Word

• tathā: thus
• tathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (रीतिवाचक अव्यय)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात; emphasis)

• daṣṭvā: having seen
• daṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), ‘having seen’

• picumandasya: of the picumanda tree (neem)
• picumandasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; of)
• Type: Noun
• Root: picumanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• patram: leaf
• patram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• sunartayitvā: having made (it) dance well / having danced well
• sunartayitvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: su- + nṛt (धातु) + ṇic (causative/णिच्)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), Causative sense (प्रेरणार्थ), ‘having made (someone) dance well / having danced well (causative nuance)’

• paramādareṇa: with great reverence
• paramādareṇa: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parama-ādara (प्रातिपदिक; परम + आदर)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Temporal adverb (कालवाचक अव्यय)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Temporal adverb (कालवाचक अव्यय)

• yamadūtaiḥ: by Yama’s messengers
• yamadūtaiḥ: Karta (कर्ता; agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama-dūta (प्रातिपदिक; यम + दूत)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• pāśaiḥ: with nooses
• pāśaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• baddhvā: having bound
• baddhvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bandh (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), ‘having bound’ (reduplicated for repetition)

• baddhvā: having bound again
• baddhvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; iterative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bandh (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), repetition (पुनरुक्ति)

• tāḍyamānaḥ: being beaten
• tāḍyamānaḥ: Karma (कर्म; patient in passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tāḍ (धातु)
• Form: Present passive participle (वर्तमान कर्मणि कृदन्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चय/निपात)

• samyak: properly, thoroughly
• samyak: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (रीतिवाचक अव्यय)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra in the Preta Kanda discourse)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Naraka

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Degrading or harmful acts (especially those tied to delusion/impurity) ripen into repeated suffering; karmic consequences are inescapable and cyclical until corrected.

Vedantic Theme: Bondage through avidyā and karma; repetitive suffering (punarāvṛtti) as a sign of unresolved papa and attachment to tamasic behavior.

Application: Avoid tamasic practices and cruel/impure acts; cultivate sattva through discipline, truthful living, and devotion; treat compulsive or self-harming behaviors as spiritual and ethical red flags requiring reform.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: liminal road/holding area

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana naraka narratives: repeated binding/releasing and beating motifs as pedagogic imagery for karmic retribution

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yamadutas

FAQs

What is the importance of Yama’s messengers (Yamadutas) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse shows Yamadutas as the executors of karmic justice—binding, releasing, and punishing the being repeatedly according to the outcomes of past actions.

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

It depicts a punitive stage in Yama’s domain where the preta (departed being) is subjected to cyclical restraint and beating, emphasizing that post-death experience follows moral causality (karma).

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with restraint and ethical discipline (dharma), avoiding harmful actions that lead to suffering; support dharmic conduct and, where appropriate, perform sincere rites with a focus on moral reform rather than fear.