Shloka 95
Multi-form Manifestations, Indra–Kāma Incarnations, Pravāha, and the Twofold Buddhi
Sense-Discipline and Exclusive Refuge in Viṣṇu
स्ववामहस्ते वेणुपात्रे निधाय दीपं धृत्वा सव्यहस्ते पते त्वम् / उत्तिष्ठ भोः पञ्चगृहेषु भिक्षां कुरुष्व सम्यक् प्रविहायैव लज्जाम्
svavāmahaste veṇupātre nidhāya dīpaṃ dhṛtvā savyahaste pate tvam / uttiṣṭha bhoḥ pañcagṛheṣu bhikṣāṃ kuruṣva samyak pravihāyaiva lajjām
Lege die Bambus-Bettelschale in deine linke Hand und halte in der rechten eine Lampe—o Gatte, steh auf! Geh und erbitte ordnungsgemäß Almosen in fünf Häusern, indem du alle Scham von dir wirfst.
Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda about the preta’s post-death degradations and compelled begging)
Concept: Perform one’s prescribed duty (bhiksha/household observance) with steadiness, overcoming egoic shame; discipline sustains dharma and livelihood.
Vedantic Theme: Ego-reduction through niyama; action done as duty (kartavya) rather than self-image maintenance.
Application: Do necessary tasks without paralysis by social anxiety; follow a structured plan (limited ‘five houses’ = bounded effort) and carry light/clarity (lamp) as mindful presence.
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.28 (ritual/vrata procedures involving household actions and regulated conduct)
FAQs
This verse uses the image of being made to beg (even with a bowl and lamp) to show how certain karmas lead to loss of dignity and dependence, emphasizing the need for dharmic living and proper rites.
It portrays the preta-condition as one of compulsion and hardship, where the being is driven into degrading acts—indicating that the post-death journey can involve suffering shaped by prior actions.
Live in a way that preserves dignity through dharma—avoid harmful deeds that create dependence and humiliation, and support righteous charity and appropriate funeral/ancestral observances for social and spiritual balance.